Epidermal Endocannabinoid System (EES) and its Cosmetic Application

Phytocannabinoid-rich galenic preparations for topical administration: extraction and stability testing

Although medical cannabis was legalized in Czechia in 2013 and its use in topical treatments of skin disorders is now allowed, galenic formulations prepared from medical cannabis have not been widely implemented in the Czech healthcare system. One of the main reasons is the lack of a straightforward standardized protocol for their preparation. Cannabinoids, e.g., cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), have been shown to have therapeutic effects on various skin conditions, such as atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, scleroderma, acne and skin pigmentation. Recognizing the potential of dermatological treatment with medical cannabis, the present study aimed to evaluate the extraction capacity of various pharmaceutical bases for cannabinoids and the stability of prepared galenic formulations for dermatological applications with respect to cannabinoid content. The results showed that the stability of cannabinoids in formulations depended on the bases' physical and chemical properties. The highest THC decomposition was observed in cream bases and Vaseline, with estimated percentage loss of total content of up to 5.4% and 5.6% per week, respectively. In contrast, CBD was more stable than THC. Overall, the tested bases were comparably effective in extracting cannabinoids from plant material. However, olive oil and Synderman bases exhibited the highest cannabinoid extraction efficiencies (approximately 70%) and the best storage stabilities in terms of the content of monitored compounds. The proposed preparation protocol is fast and easily implementable in pharmacies and medical facilities.

Electroacupuncture repairs intestinal barrier by upregulating CB1 through gut microbiota in DSS-induced acute colitis

BACKGROUND

A few studies have reported that electroacupuncture (EA) can repair the intestinal barrier through unknown mechanisms. Cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1) was shown to play an important role in the protection of the gut barrier in recent studies. Gut microbiota can influence the expression of CB1. In this study, we explored the effect of EA on the gut barrier in acute colitis and its mechanism.

METHODS

A dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced acute colitis model, CB1 antagonist model and fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) model were used in this study. The disease activity index (DAI) score, colon length, histological score, and inflammatory factors were detected to evaluate colonic inflammation. Methods for detecting intestinal barrier functions included the expression of tight junction proteins, intestinal permeability, and the number of goblet cells. Moreover, 16S rRNA sequencing was applied to analyze alterations in the gut microbiota. Western blotting and RT-PCR were performed to assess the levels of CB1 and autophagy-related proteins. Autophagosomes were observed by transmission electron microscopy.

RESULTS

EA reduced the DAI score, histological score, levels of inflammatory factors, and restored the colon length. Moreover, EA increased the expression of tight junction proteins and the number of goblet cells, and decreased intestinal permeability. In addition, EA remodeled the community structure of the gut microbiota, increased the expression of CB1, and enhanced the degree of autophagy. However, the therapeutic effects were reversed by CB1 antagonists. In addition, FMT in the EA group exhibited similar effects to EA and upregulated CB1.

CONCLUSIONS

We concluded that EA may protect intestinal barrier functions by increasing the expression of CB1 to enhance autophagy through gut microbiota in DSS-induced acute colitis.

The Neuroprotective Effect of NEUROMIDE, a Compound Bioidentical to Commensal Bacteria Metabolites

GPR119 is a novel cannabinoid receptor that is primarily expressed in the pancreas and gastrointestinal tract and has beneficial effects on glucose homeostasis exerted through the stimulation of GLP-1 secretion, as demonstrated in the rodent brain. GLP-1 also has important anti-inflammatory effects in chronic inflammatory diseases, including type 1 and 2 diabetes, asthma, psoriasis, and neurodegenerative disorders. Recently, there has been increasing interest in the effect of the gut microbiota on both the gut and the brain. However, few studies have examined how gut microbes affect brain health through the endocannabinoid system. NEUROMIDE is a compound that shares a bioidentical structure with certain commensal bacterial metabolites, acting as a CB1 and GPR119 agonist. In an in vitro system exposed to reactive oxygen species (ROS), pretreatment with NEUROMIDE resulted in a significant increase in cell viability. The ROS-exposed system also showed decreased acetylcholine and an increase in inflammatory cytokines such as IL-1β, changes that were counteracted in a dose-dependent manner in the NEUROMIDE treatment groups. To measure the effectiveness of NEUROMIDE in an in vivo system, we used scopolamine-treated mice as a neurodegenerative disease model and performed a series of passive avoidance tests to observe and quantify the cognitive impairment of the mice. Mice in the NEUROMIDE treatment group had increased latency time, thus indicating an improvement in their cognitive function. Furthermore, the NEUROMIDE treatment groups showed dose-dependent increases in acetylcholine along with decreases in TNF-α and IL-1β. These experiments demonstrate that NEUROMIDE can potentially be used for neuroprotection and the improvement of cognitive ability.

Optimizing emollient therapy for skin barrier repair in atopic dermatitis

OBJECTIVE

We compared the principal characteristics of over-the-counter moisturizers with physiological lipid-based barrier repair therapy (BRT).

DATA SOURCES

An extended literature reported that moisturizers are considered standard ancillary therapy for anti-inflammatory skin disorders such as atopic dermatitis (AD). Additional studies have found that physiological lipid-based BRT can comprise effective, stand-alone therapy for pediatric AD.

RESULTS

Not all moisturizers are beneficial-some negatively impact skin function, and in doing so, they risk inducing or exacerbating inflammation in patients with AD. The frequent self-reported occurrences of sensitive skin in patients with AD could reflect the potential toxicity of such formulations. A still unanswered question is whether improper formulations could also prove to be counterproductive in other types of sensitive skin, such as rosacea. In contrast, we found how physiological lipid-based BRT (when comprised of the 3 key stratum corneum lipids in sufficient quantities and at an appropriate molar ratio) can correct the barrier abnormality, thereby reducing inflammation in AD and possibly in other inflammatory dermatoses, such as adult eczemas and possibly even psoriasis.

CONCLUSION

We provide guidelines for the appropriate dispensation of moisturizers and physiological lipid-based, BRT for the treatment of AD. Both over-the-counter (Atopalm) and prescription (EpiCeram) products are available in the United States with these characteristics.

Cannabis-Based Products for the Treatment of Skin Inflammatory Diseases: A Timely Review

The use of natural products in dermatology is increasingly being pursued due to sustainability and ecological issues, and as a possible way to improve the therapeutic outcome of chronic skin diseases, relieving the burden for both patients and healthcare systems. The legalization of cannabis by a growing number of countries has opened the way for researching the use of cannabinoids in therapeutic topical formulations. Cannabinoids are a diverse class of pharmacologically active compounds produced by Cannabis sativa (phytocannabinoids) and similar molecules (endocannabinoids, synthetic cannabinoids). Humans possess an endocannabinoid system involved in the regulation of several physiological processes, which includes naturally-produced endocannabinoids, and proteins involved in their transport, synthesis and degradation. The modulation of the endocannabinoid system is a promising therapeutic target for multiple diseases, including vascular, mental and neurodegenerative disorders. However, due to the complex nature of this system and its crosstalk with other biological systems, the development of novel target drugs is an ongoing challenging task. The discovery of a skin endocannabinoid system and its role in maintaining skin homeostasis, alongside the anti-inflammatory actions of cannabinoids, has raised interest in their use for the treatment of skin inflammatory diseases, which is the focus of this review. Oral treatments are only effective at high doses, having considerable adverse effects; thus, research into plant-based or synthetic cannabinoids that can be incorporated into high-quality, safe topical products for the treatment of inflammatory skin conditions is timely. Previous studies revealed that such products are usually well tolerated and showed promising results for example in the treatment of atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, and contact dermatitis. However, further controlled human clinical trials are needed to fully unravel the potential of these compounds, and the possible side effects associated with their topical use.

HPLC Method for Separation of Cannabidiol Hemp Seed Oil with Skin Lipids and Tandem HRMS Technology for Characterization of a Chemical Marker

Cannabidiol (CBD) hemp seed oil is a commercial raw material with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits that has been formulated into body wash and skin care products. The biggest analytical challenge is how to simultaneously quantify CBD and hemp seed oil as they deposited on the skin surface. CBD is easily separated and quantified from skin surface extracts via a HPLC-mass spectrometry methodology. However, the structural skeleton of triacylglycerides (TAGs) in hemp seed oil is same as those from the skin surface sebum. The strong hydrophobicity with subtle structural difference challenges their separation. In this project, a new reverse phase HPLC-high resolution mass spectrometry methodology was developed with a strong mobile phase normal propanol. The separated hemp seed oil TAGs in the chromatogram were identified and characterized using data-dependent acquisition (DDA) technology. Based on the daughter ion characterization, the separated peak with an ammonium adduct at 890.7226 [M + NH4]+ was confirmed as the parent ion of glycerol with three omega-3 fatty acid chains. This is the first time TAG structure with direct HPLC-tandem mass spectrometry technology has been elucidated without a hydrolysis reaction. The confirmed TAG structure with an ammonium adduct at 890.7226 ± 0.0020 can be used as a representative chemical marker for the hemp seed oil quantification.

The Therapeutic Potential of Cannabis in Counteracting Oxidative Stress and Inflammation

Significant growth of interest in cannabis (Cannabis sativa L.), especially its natural anti-inflammatory and antioxidative properties, has been observed recently. This narrative review aimed to present the state of the art of research concerning the anti-inflammatory activity of all classes of cannabinoids published in the last five years. Multimodal properties of cannabinoids include their involvement in immunological processes, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidative effects. Cannabinoids and non-cannabinoid compounds of cannabis proved their anti-inflammatory effects in numerous animal models. The research in humans is missing, and the results are unconvincing. Although preclinical evidence suggests cannabinoids are of value in treating chronic inflammatory diseases, the clinical evidence is scarce, and further well-designed clinical trials are essential to determine the prospects for using cannabinoids in inflammatory conditions.

Medicinal Applications of Cannabinoids Extracted from Cannabis sativa (L.): A New Route in the Fight Against COVID-19?

Cannabis sativa is a well-known plant that has been recognized for its benefits since ancient times by several medicinal systems, including those of China, India, Greece, and Egypt. Although C. sativa is one of the most investigated medicinal plants in the world, it faces some of the greatest controversies surrounding its legalization and use as a medication. C. sativa contains several hundred phytoconstituents, including the infamous "cannabinoids". It is necessary to properly understand the medicinal importance of these phytochemicals and spread awareness among the countries where cannabis is still facing legal obstacles. The current review focuses on the most recent literature pertaining to various applications of cannabinoids, with a special focus on the medicinal aspect of these phytochemicals. Peer-reviewed articles focusing on the importance of cannabis and cannabinoids are the target of this review. Articles were selected based on the relevance to the general scope of the work, i.e., application of cannabinoids. Cannabinoids can truly be regarded as wonder drugs, considering their immense diversity of usage. Unfortunately, however, many of the mares have never been researched biologically or pharmacologically due to their low yield in the plant. However, the approval of some cannabinoids by the FDA (along with other recognized national medical health systems) has opened the horizon for the use of these natural drugs in medicines such as Epidiolex® (cannabidiol, used for the treatment of severe forms of epilepsy) and Sativex®(Δ⁹-tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabidiol, used for the treatment of spasticity caused by multiple sclerosis). Many pharmacological properties of C. sativa are attributed to cannabidiol (CBD), a non-psychoactive component, along with Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ⁹-THC), a psychoactive component. This review addresses the most important applications or current utilization of cannabinoids in a variety of treatments such as chronic pain, cancer, emesis, anorexia, irritable bowel syndrome, communicable diseases, glaucoma, and central nervous system disorders. The biosynthetic pathway of cannabinoids is also discussed. In short, cannabis has a myriad of bioactive compounds that have the potential to increase the list of approved cannabinoids suitable for therapy.

A Rapid and Sensitive Method for the Determination of Cannabidiol in Cosmetic Products by Liquid Chromatography–Tandem Mass Spectrometry

Cannabidiol is a phytocannabinoid with proven pharmacological properties that is also used in the cosmetic industry for its sebostatic and antioxidant activities, being considered a new anti-aging ally. An analytical method is proposed for the determination of CBD in cosmetic products by liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry, after leaching the CBD from the cosmetic matrix with ethanol. Low instrumental limits of detection (0.22 ng mL−1) and quantification (0.74 ng mL−1) allow the determination of CBD at trace levels without needing preconcentration, whereas the wide linearity of the method allows the determination of CBD in more concentrated samples without high dilution. The method was successfully applied to the analysis of six cosmetic products and a raw material. The proposed method is suitable for the quality control of cosmetic products containing CBD, being able to quickly and easily determine this compound, ensuring that its concentration in the finished product is the desired one.