CBD Nanoparticles Improve Memory and Reduce Alzheimer’s-Related Brain Damage
- Researchers developed cannabidiol-loaded human serum albumin nanoparticles (CBD-HSA-NPs) to overcome CBD’s poor solubility, instability, and limited brain delivery for Alzheimer's treatment.
- The optimized nanoparticles averaged 197 nanometers in size, encapsulated 87% of CBD, and provided sustained release rather than rapid discharge.
- In lab tests, CBD nanoparticles more effectively reduced amyloid beta aggregation, lowered reactive oxygen species, and protected nerve cells compared to free CBD.
- In Alzheimer’s mouse models, treatment with CBD nanoparticles improved cognitive behavior, decreased brain amyloid beta levels, and reduced inflammation, demonstrating enhanced therapeutic benefits over free CBD.
Delivering cannabidiol (CBD) through human serum albumin nanoparticles improved its ability to reduce Alzheimer’s-related damage in both a cell model and animal model, according to a study published in the Journal of Pharmaceutical Investigation.
For the study, researchers from Keimyung University and Chung-Ang University developed nanoparticles containing CBD, known as CBD-HSA-NPs, to address several barriers that may limit CBD’s medical use, including poor water solubility, instability and difficulty reaching the brain.
The optimized nanoparticles had an average size of approximately 197 nanometers and encapsulated about 87% of the CBD used in the formulation. They also released CBD gradually rather than all at once.
In laboratory testing, the CBD nanoparticles were more effective than free CBD at limiting the aggregation of amyloid beta, a protein associated with Alzheimer’s disease. The formulation also reduced the production of reactive oxygen species and helped protect nerve cells from amyloid-related toxicity.
Nanoparticles containing a fluorescent dye showed more than twice the cellular uptake of free dye in human brain endothelial cells, suggesting the delivery system could improve the movement of compounds through cells associated with the blood-brain barrier.
Researchers then tested the formulation in mice injected with amyloid beta to produce Alzheimer’s-like cognitive and neurological damage. Mice treated with the CBD nanoparticles performed better in behavioral tests, had lower levels of amyloid beta in the brain and showed reductions in pro-inflammatory cytokines.
The findings suggest that packaging CBD in albumin-based nanoparticles may improve its stability, cellular uptake and therapeutic activity compared with administering CBD on its own.