Treating Chronic Pain with Marijuana Chemicals
There are lots of people who suffer from chronic pain especially neuropathic pain caused by nerve damage. Traditional approaches like opioids have numerous drawbacks such as addiction, tolerance and constipation making them not ideal for long-term management.
Exploring Cannabis Terpenes as an Alternative
Recent research published in the journal PAIN suggests that terpenes from Cannabis sativa may be a good alternative. The study concluded that some terpenes could compare to morphine in reducing chronic neuropathic pain. Furthermore, combining morphine with terpenes increased analgesia without additional side effects.
Drawbacks of Cannabinoids
Cannabinoids including tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) have been found useful against chronic pain but their efficiency is not high enough and THC causes psychoactive effects. This made researchers turn to look at terpenes, which are aromatic compounds in plants that could produce analgesia minus these downsides. The aim of this research was to investigate whether terpenes can effectively treat chronic pains safely.
Key Findings from the Study
The five most common cannabis terpene constituents were examined by John Streicher and his colleagues at the University of Arizona: alpha-humulene, beta-caryophyllene, beta-pinene, geraniol and linalool. They used mice models of chemotherapy-induced neuropathic pain which mimic human chronic pain conditions.
Mice were given paclitaxel which is chemotherapeutic agent to induce neuropathy pain. Mechanical sensitivity tests were used to determine their level of discomfort on being touched mechanically by external objects. They were then treated either with one among each type of these chemicals or just morphine or both combined together. Changes in sensitivity to touch were recorded as a measure of the degree of pain relief.
All the five terpenes tested provided significant and equivalent analgesia to morphine. This was a remarkable discovery suggesting that terpenes alone could be potent pain relievers.
Synergistic Effects of Terpenes and Morphine
When combined with morphine, these terpenes increased analgesia without increasing negative side effects typically associated with opioids. Such a combination therapy may allow for reducing morphine doses and hence the risks of addiction and other side effects.
The researchers found no addictive behaviors or rewarding properties among mice treated with terpenes. Moreover, this type of treatment did not develop any tolerance over time implying that its effectivity did not diminish during repetitive administration as it does occur in case of morphine use.
Mechanism of Action and Future Research
The researchers found out that these terpenes likely work by activating adenosine A2A receptor in the spinal cord primarily. This receptor is known to have some role in reducing pains and inflammations, which can guide pain management strategies.
Although promising, this study has limitations and future research directions. It was performed on mice while human physiology may differ from what happens in animal models. Thus, confirmatory clinical trials are needed to evaluate whether terpenes are effective enough for patients.
Additionally, the efficacy seems to decrease when administering them through oral route or inhalation although these routes would be more practical in humans. Henceforth efforts should be directed at enhancing bioavailability through better formulation technologies like nano-particle delivery systems.
”Terpenes from Cannabis sativa induce antinociception in a mouse model of chronic neuropathic pain via activation of adenosine A2A receptors” is the title of the study authored by Abigail M. Schwarz, Attila Keresztes, Thai Bui, Ryan J. Hecksel, Adrian Peña, Brianna Lent, Zhan-Guo Gao, Martín Gamez-Rivera, Caleb A. Seekins, Kerry Chou, Taylor L. Appel, Kenneth A. Jacobson, Fahad A. Al-Obeidi and John M. Streicher.
This work thus spotlights the potential for cannabis-based terpenes as a viable alternative in addressing chronic pain disorders giving stronger analgesia with reduced liabilities relative to conventional opioid medications.
