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Review
. 2020 Dec 24;22(1):134.
doi: 10.3390/ijms22010134.

Possible Receptor Mechanisms Underlying Cannabidiol Effects on Addictive-like Behaviors in Experimental Animals

Ewa Galaj  1 , Zheng-Xiong Xi  1
Affiliations
Review

Possible Receptor Mechanisms Underlying Cannabidiol Effects on Addictive-like Behaviors in Experimental Animals

Ewa Galaj et al. Int J Mol Sci. .

Abstract

Substance use disorder (SUD) is a serious public health problem worldwide for which available treatments show limited effectiveness. Since the legalization of cannabis and the approval of cannabidiol (CBD) by the US Food and Drug Administration, therapeutic potential of CBD for the treatment of SUDs and other diseases has been widely explored. In this mini-review article, we first review the history and evidence supporting CBD as a potential pharmacotherapeutic. We then focus on recent progress in preclinical research regarding the pharmacological efficacy of CBD and the underlying receptor mechanisms on addictive-like behavior. Growing evidence indicates that CBD has therapeutic potential in reducing drug reward, as assessed in intravenous drug self-administration, conditioned place preference and intracranial brain-stimulation reward paradigms. In addition, CBD is effective in reducing relapse in experimental animals. Both in vivo and in vitro receptor mechanism studies indicate that CBD may act as a negative allosteric modulator of type 1 cannabinoid (CB1) receptor and an agonist of type 2 cannabinoid (CB2), transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1), and serotonin 5-HT1A receptors. Through these multiple-receptor mechanisms, CBD is believed to modulate brain dopamine in response to drugs of abuse, leading to attenuation of drug-taking and drug-seeking behavior. While these findings suggest that CBD is a promising therapeutic candidate, further investigation is required to verify its safety, pharmacological efficacy and the underlying receptor mechanisms in both experimental animals and humans.

Keywords: 5-TH; CB1 receptor; CB2 receptor; TRPV1; addiction; cannabidiol; cocaine.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Potential receptor mechanisms underlying CBD’s action against drug reward and addiction. The results from in vitro receptor binding and functional intracellular signalling assays and in vivo behavioral studies with pharmacological and transgenic approaches suggest that CBD may act as a CB1R negative allosteric modulator, a CB2R partial agonist or antagonist/inverse agonist, and a TRPV1 and 5-HT1A receptor agonist. Multiple receptor mechanisms together produce protective and therapeutic effects against drug abuse and addiction.
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