Cannabis treatment for chronic pain
A team from Pompeu Fabra University is starting a project to obtain a new analgesic drug to improve the treatment of chronic pain.
Researcher Rafael Maldonado's team has discovered that the effects of cannabis are independent of its harmful effects. This project aims to develop a drug that harnesses the benefits without the side effects.
According to Maldonado, we currently have effective anti-inflammatory drugs to treat mild pain, and opiates to treat severe pain. However, the problem lies with moderate chronic pain, as there is no medication to treat it. This type of pain affects 50 million people in Europe. Examples of this type of pain include osteoarthritis and neuropathic pain, which, thanks to this project, could find a solution in cannabis.
The drug is in the experimental development phase and is based on one of the main cannabinoids in cannabis, THC (tetrahydrocannabinol).
The analgesic effects of cannabis are based on the action of THC on a type 1 or CB1 cannabinoid receptor. Meanwhile, the undesirable effects are based on the action of THC on a structure formed by two linked receptors, a CB1 molecule assembled to a serotonin receptor.
The key was finding a molecule capable of breaking the bond between the CB1 receptor and the serotonin receptor. This would allow the analgesic effects of cannabis to be harnessed without its unwanted side effects. In this way, THC could no longer cause, for example, cognitive impairment.
And Maldonado and his team have developed a molecule that breaks the bond between the receptors.
Awaiting clinical trials with people with chronic pain
Trials in mice have already shown that the new molecule, when injected into the bloodstream, reaches the brain. Now the goal is to develop a drug that can be administered orally or nasally. Maldonado hopes to begin a clinical trial in people with chronic pain at hospitals in the Barcelona area.
Fountain: The Vanguard
Remember that in our marijuana seed bank Genehtik you can acquire several quality and guaranteed genetics.