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Review
. 2024 Mar 18;6(1):14.
doi: 10.1186/s42238-024-00222-2.

A narrative review of the therapeutic and remedial prospects of cannabidiol with emphasis on neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders

Oluwadara Pelumi Omotayo  1 , Yolandy Lemmer  2   3 , Shayne Mason  4
Affiliations
Review

A narrative review of the therapeutic and remedial prospects of cannabidiol with emphasis on neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders

Oluwadara Pelumi Omotayo et al. J Cannabis Res. .

Abstract

Background: The treatment of diverse diseases using plant-derived products is actively encouraged. In the past few years, cannabidiol (CBD) has emerged as a potent cannabis-derived drug capable of managing various debilitating neurological infections, diseases, and their associated complications. CBD has demonstrated anti-inflammatory and curative effects in neuropathological conditions, and it exhibits therapeutic, apoptotic, anxiolytic, and neuroprotective properties. However, more information on the reactions and ability of CBD to alleviate brain-related disorders and the neuroinflammation that accompanies them is needed.

Main body: This narrative review deliberates on the therapeutic and remedial prospects of CBD with an emphasis on neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders. An extensive literature search followed several scoping searches on available online databases such as PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus with the main keywords: CBD, pro-inflammatory cytokines, and cannabinoids. After a purposive screening of the retrieved papers, 170 (41%) of the articles (published in English) aligned with the objective of this study and retained for inclusion.

Conclusion: CBD is an antagonist against pro-inflammatory cytokines and the cytokine storm associated with neurological infections/disorders. CBD regulates adenosine/oxidative stress and aids the downregulation of TNF-α, restoration of BDNF mRNA expression, and recovery of serotonin levels. Thus, CBD is involved in immune suppression and anti-inflammation. Understanding the metabolites associated with response to CBD is imperative to understand the phenotype. We propose that metabolomics will be the next scientific frontier that will reveal novel information on CBD's therapeutic tendencies in neurological/neuropsychiatric disorders.

Keywords: Anti-inflammatory cytokines; Cannabidiol (CBD); Neuroinflammation; Neurological infections; Neurological/neuropsychiatric disorders; Proinflammatory cytokines.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
a Chemical structure of cannabidiol (CBD). b Forms of CBD derived from Cannabis
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Word cloud showing the terms used in the included studies, the size of the words corresponds to the frequency of their use
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Flow diagram showing article selection process
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Cannabidiol’s remedial mechanism of action in neurological disorders
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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