The cannabis-derived compound cannabidiol (CBD) is gaining traction as a treatment for a broad range of conditions, but it’s notoriously hard for the body to use. Now a breakthrough production method has removed a major roadblock to its bioavailability.
CBD, the non-psychoactive component of marijuana and hemp plants, has been shown to have myriad beneficial health effects including reducing inflammation, taking the edge off pain, increasing blood flow to the parts of our brains associated with memory, and even exhibiting antipsychotic effects.
Two of the compound’s most promising effects are its ability to reduce seizures, especially in those with treatment-resistant epilepsy, and helping with muscle spasticity in people suffering from multiple sclerosis (MS). In 2018, the US Food and Drug Administration approved Epidiolex, the country’s first cannabis-derived medicine to help children with epilepsy reduce and sometimes stop their seizures. Outside of the country, a CBD-based drug called Sativex is used to help patients with MS and those suffering from pain caused by cancer.
The issue with CBD though, is that it’s not water soluble, and our bodies don’t easily absorb it. One study from 2019 showed that the compound is more effective when eaten with a high-fat meal, but that’s not always a practical – or healthy – way to take it.
Seeking to capitalize on boosting CBD’s efficacy through the use of fat, scientists at the University of South Australia created a mixture of nanoparticles where CBD was bound to a phospholipid complex (PLC), or phosphorus-containing fat particles.
In testing, the researchers found that the new CBD-PLC delivery system dissolved in water at a rate of 67.1% after three hours, which is a remarkable improvement in CBD’s solubility. As a result the CBD-PLC complex exhibited a 32.7% better uptake in the digestive tract than unmodified CBD.
“Improved bioavailability means that lower doses can achieve the same therapeutic effect, potentially reducing side effects and making treatment more cost effective,” said study first author Thabata Muta.
Furthermore, the team demonstrated that its new formulation was significantly more shelf-stable than traditional CBD formulations, which degrade when exposed to light, heat, and oxygen. In tests spanning 12 months the new formulation resisted degradation in a variety of conditions and temperatures ranging from 4-40 °C (39-104 °F).
The researchers feel that their improved formulation of CBD could not only help epilepsy and MS patients, but that their PLC-based method could help improve the absorption of other drugs that have poor water solubility.
Their findings have been published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences.
Source: University of South Australia