Authors:
Schiavon AP, Soares LM, Bonato JM, Milani H, Guimarães FS, Weffort de Oliveira RM.
Abstract:
The present study investigated whether cannabidiol (CBD), a major
non-psychoactive constituent of marijuana, protects against hippocampal
neurodegeneration and cognitive deficits induced by brain ischemia in
adult mice. Male Swiss mice were subjected to a 17 min of bilateral
common carotid artery occlusion (BCCAO) and tested in the Morris water
maze 7 days later. CBD (3, 10, and 30 mg/kg) was administered 30 min
before and 3, 24, and 48 h after BCCAO. After behavioral testing, the
brains were removed and processed to evaluate hippocampal cell survival
and degeneration using Nissl staining and FluoroJade C histochemistry,
respectively. Astroglial response was examined using
immunohistochemistry for glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP). CBD
(3-30 mg/kg) improved spatial learning performance in BCCAO mice. The
Nissl and FJC staining results showed a decrease in hippocampal
neurodegeneration after CBD (10 and 30 mg/kg) treatment. GFAP
immunoreactivity was also decreased in ischemic mice treated with CBD
(30 mg/kg). These findings suggest a protective effect of CBD on
neuronal death induced by ischemia and indicate that CBD might exert
beneficial therapeutic effects in brain ischemia. The mechanisms that
underlie the neuroprotective effects of CBD in BCCAO mice might involve
the inhibition of reactive astrogliosis.