Cannabigerol and dementia

Lane Simonian

I had never heard of cannabigerol before this morning.  Cannabigerol is the precursor to CBD and THC.  It attacks the twin problems in Alzheimer's disease and many other forms of dementia: oxidative stress and neuroinflammation.  Much attention as of late has been played to the role of neuroinflammation in Alzheimer's disease, but it is oxidative stress that is the main "stimulator" of neuroinflammation and neuroinflammation then contributes to more oxidative stress.

"The anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory actions of CBG are particularly interesting taking into account that both inflammation and oxidative stress play pivotal roles in neurodegeneration [13,14,15]. Indeed, both these processes lead to neuronal cell death, then triggering and amplifying degeneration [16,17]. It is important to consider that the two pathophysiological processes are tightly correlated and influence each other. It is more relevant for the brain that is particularly sensitive to oxidative stress [18]. Indeed, inflammatory cells can produce reactive species at the site of inflammation causing oxidative stress, while reactive oxygen/nitrogen species may initiate an intracellular signaling cascade that induces the expression of pro-inflammatory genes [15,19]. Given the interdependence of these processes, a compound able to act against both inflammation and oxidative stress may be a promising strategy in the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders."

And the conclusion is spot on:

"In conclusion, our results indicated that CBG exerted a protective action in an in vitro neuroinflammation model. CBG reduced neuronal death in NSC-34 cells treated with the medium of LPS stimulated macrophages, reducing inflammation and oxidative stress. In particular, CBG restored cell anti-oxidant defense, increasing the expression of Nrf-2, reduced oxidative stress and inflammatory markers. On the bases of these results, thanks to its neuroprotective effects, we encourage the use of CBG against neurodegeneration and in those pathological conditions where neuroinflammation and oxidative stress play a main role."

The key to treating Alzheimer's disease and other neurological diseases and conditions is to find the most effective antioxidants.  It is too early to say whether Cannabigerol fits in the same category as panax ginseng and certain essential oils via aromatherapy in this regard, but it is certainly worth further study.