Cannabidiol has been used to alleviate various symptoms. From reducing inflammation to improving sleep, this chemical is highly sought after by doctors. Recently, a team of researchers discovered cannabidiol has an impact on stress.
Taking Down Stress
Researchers from The British Pharmacological Society, believed cannabidiol could defend the body against high glucose‐elicited oxidative stress(1). Many people gain oxidative stress from activities such as smoking, toxic chemical exposure, and alcohol. The common thread between both properties is the cardiac sodium channel Nav1.5(2). This channel is a link towards the heartbeat and muscle contractions in the body. Cannabidiol can help the channel function properly, but oxidative stress can deteriorate it.
“To test these ideas, we used CHO cells transiently co‐transfected with cDNA encoding human Nav1.5 α‐subunit under control and high glucose conditions (50 or 100 mM for 24 hr),” the study stated. “Several experimental and computational techniques were used, including voltage clamp of heterologous expression systems, cell viability assays, fluorescence assays, and action potential modelling.”
At the end of their research, The British Pharmacological Society concluded that cannabidiol is the perfect defense. “These findings suggest that, through its favourable antioxidant and sodium channel inhibitory effects, CBD may protect against high glucose‐induced arrhythmia and cytotoxicity,” the study said.
A Long Time Coming
In 2006, the American Journal of Pathology conducted the same research(3), but they used mice instead. In total, 127 rats separated into three different groups. Each group spent either one, two, or four weeks in weeks of induced diabetes for the study. Following their diabetic stint, the rats were injected with a small dose of cannabidiol. The result showed cannabidiol proved to be a success with reducing oxidative stress in mice. The study also determined cannabidiol prevented vascular permeability, which can lead to the spread of cancer.
With this newfound knowledge, cannabidiol will find a bigger place alongside antidepressants.
Reference:
- https://bpspubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/bph.15020
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0022282809003678
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3349875/
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