Perry CJ, Finch P, Müller‐Taubenberger A, Leung K, Warren EC, Damstra‐Oddy J, Sharma D, Patra PH, Glyn S, Boberska J, Stewart B, Baldwin A, Piscitelli F, Harvey RJ, Harwood A, Thompson C, Claus SP, Greene ND, McNeish AJ, Williams CM, Whalley BJ, Williams RS. A new mechanism for cannabidiol in regulating the one-carbon cycle and methionine levels in Dictyostelium and in mammalian epilepsy models.
Br J Pharmacol 2020;
177:912-928. [PMID:
31693171 PMCID:
PMC7024701 DOI:
10.1111/bph.14892]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2019] [Revised: 09/06/2019] [Accepted: 09/17/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
Epidiolex™, a form of highly purified cannabidiol (CBD) derived from Cannabis plants, has demonstrated seizure control activity in patients with Dravet syndrome, without a fully elucidated mechanism of action. We have employed an unbiased approach to investigate this mechanism at a cellular level.
EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH
We use a tractable biomedical model organism, Dictyostelium, to identify a protein controlling the effect of CBD and characterize this mechanism. We then translate these results to a Dravet syndrome mouse model and an acute in vitro seizure model.
KEY RESULTS
CBD activity is partially dependent upon the mitochondrial glycine cleavage system component, GcvH1 in Dictyostelium, orthologous to the human glycine cleavage system component H protein, which is functionally linked to folate one-carbon metabolism (FOCM). Analysis of FOCM components identified a mechanism for CBD in directly inhibiting methionine synthesis. Analysis of brain tissue from a Dravet syndrome mouse model also showed drastically altered levels of one-carbon components including methionine, and an in vitro rat seizure model showed an elevated level of methionine that is attenuated following CBD treatment.
CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS
Our results suggest a novel mechanism for CBD in the regulating methionine levels and identify altered one-carbon metabolism in Dravet syndrome and seizure activity.
Collapse