What is it about?
Chemotherapy drugs such as paclitaxel can damage peripheral nerves, causing a condition known as chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy. People affected by this condition may experience persistent pain and increased sensitivity to normally harmless stimuli, such as light touch or cold. These symptoms can interfere with everyday activities and negatively affect quality of life. We investigated whether oral formulations containing two compounds from the cannabis plant, cannabidiol (CBD) and Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), could prevent pain-related changes caused by paclitaxel. We used a rat model of chemotherapy-induced neuropathy and tested two pharmaceutical-grade formulations with different proportions of CBD and THC. In this type of animal model, changes in responses to touch and cold can be used to study pain-related symptoms that resemble those reported by people with chemotherapy-induced neuropathy. We found that the formulation containing more CBD and less THC prevented increased sensitivity to touch and cold. The formulation containing equal amounts of CBD and THC reduced sensitivity to cold and improved some spontaneous activities. Importantly, neither formulation worsened other changes associated with paclitaxel treatment, such as alterations in body weight, movement, or anxiety-like behavior, and no liver toxicity was observed.
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Why is it important?
Chemotherapy drugs such as paclitaxel can damage peripheral nerves, causing a condition known as chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy. People affected by this condition may experience persistent pain and increased sensitivity to normally harmless stimuli, such as light touch or cold. These symptoms can interfere with everyday activities and negatively affect quality of life. We investigated whether oral formulations containing two compounds from the cannabis plant, cannabidiol (CBD) and Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), could prevent pain-related changes caused by paclitaxel. We used a rat model of chemotherapy-induced neuropathy and tested two pharmaceutical-grade formulations with different proportions of CBD and THC. In this type of animal model, changes in responses to touch and cold can be used to study pain-related symptoms that resemble those reported by people with chemotherapy-induced neuropathy. We found that the formulation containing more CBD and less THC prevented increased sensitivity to touch and cold. The formulation containing equal amounts of CBD and THC reduced sensitivity to cold and improved some spontaneous activities. Importantly, neither formulation worsened other changes associated with paclitaxel treatment, such as alterations in body weight, movement, or anxiety-like behavior, and no liver toxicity was observed.
Perspectives
I find this work particularly valuable because the use of pharmaceutical-grade cannabinoid formulations and clinically relevant doses gives our findings strong translational relevance. I also value the comprehensive assessment of the animal model, which allowed us to look beyond pain-related behaviors and capture other effects relevant to chemotherapy-induced neuropathy. I hope this work contributes to advancing cannabinoid research in this field and encourages further studies of the molecular changes induced by cannabinoid treatment, particularly those involving the endocannabinoid system. Understanding these mechanisms may help identify biomarkers and support the development of more personalized cannabinoid-based therapies.
Delia Soriano
Universidad Austral
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Early oral administration of THC:CBD formulations prevent pain-related behaviors without exacerbating paclitaxel-induced changes in weight, locomotion, and anxiety in a rat model of chemotherapy-induced neuropathy, Psychopharmacology, March 2025, Springer Science + Business Media,
DOI: 10.1007/s00213-025-06778-y.
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