The therapeutic potential of cannabidiol after traumatic brain injury

• Grant number: 18/13736-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Post-doctor
• Effective date (Start): September 26, 2018
• Effective date (End): September 25, 2019
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Physiology - Physiology of Organs and Systems
• Principal Investigator: Beatriz de Oliveira Monteiro
• Grantee: Simone Amaro Alves Romariz Bertola
• Supervisor: Mark Burns
• Host Institution: Escola Paulista de Medicina (EPM). Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP). Campus São Paulo. São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Research place: Georgetown University, United States
• Associated to the scholarship: 17/05242-3 - STUDY OF THE ANTICONVULSANT EFFECT OF CANNABIDIOL AFTER TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY., BP.PD

Abstract

The brain injury established after a traumatic brain injury (TBI) is the result of pathophysiological changes triggered at the moment of the accident (primary injury) that prolong for days and weeks (secondary injury). Inflammatory processes after the brain injury play a main role in the pathogeneses of TBI and may initiate changes related to behavioral deficits such as sleep disturbance, learning and memory deficits and epileptic seizures. An early treatment that can decreases TBI-induced inflammation is an attractive strategy to reduce secondary injury cascades and improve or recovery deficits after TBI. Cannabidiol (CBD) is a nonpsychoactive cannabinoid recognized to produce a broad range of therapeutic effects for several neurological disease and the beneficial effects of CBD appear to be related with neuroprotection mechanisms and inhibition of excessive inflammatory responses. Studies have shown that CBD improves inflammation by reducing the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines, increasing the release of anti-inflammatory cytokines and decreasing the activation of glial cells and brain leucocytes infiltration. Moreover, the anti-inflammatory effect of CBD was observed in animal models of neurological diseases such as neuropathic pain, Alzheimer's disease and cerebral ischemia. CBD presents anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. However, the therapeutic potential of CBD after TBI is still unknown. Therefore, development of new studies is essential to elucidate the possible anti-inflammatory role of CBD after TBI. Our aim is investigating the therapeutic potential of CBD in mice submitted to a severe TBI model. (AU)