This study supports the safety and therapeutic potential of hemp-derived CBD for relieving arthritic pain and suggests follow-up investigations in humans are warranted. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of daily cannabidiol for the treatment of canine osteoarthritis pain.
Over the last 2 decades, affirmative diagnoses of osteoarthritis (OA) in the United States have tripled due to increasing rates of obesity and an aging population. Hemp-derived cannabidiol (CBD) is the major component of cannabis and has been promoted as a potential treatment for a wide variety of disparate inflammatory conditions.
In the veterinary study, CBD significantly decreased pain and increased mobility in a dose-dependent fashion among animals with an affirmative diagnosis of OA.
1. Background
Arthritis is a leading cause of pain, disfigurement, and disability in the United States where nearly one-quarter of all adults have received an affirmative diagnosis.
Although the incidence of rheumatoid arthritis has remained constant, osteoarthritis (OA) diagnoses have tripled since 2000 due to an aging population, increasing levels of obesity, and greater physician recognition of
its prevalence. Accordingly, OA is a leading cause of chronic pain and disability among the elderly.
Consistent with this, cannabis and its constituents are increasingly being recognized as bona fide pharmacologic agents with significant therapeutic potential. For example, cannabidiol (CBD), the major nontetrahydrocannabinol (THC) constituent of cannabis, can exert numerous biological effects through several different receptors and signaling pathways, including anti-inflammatory ones.
2. Osteoarthritis veterinary trial design
The study population consisted of client-owned dogs presenting to Sunset Animal Hospital (Houston, TX) for evaluation and treatment of lameness due to
OA. Owners completed a brief questionnaire to define the affected
limb(s), duration of lameness, and duration of analgesic or other
medications taken. Dogs were considered for inclusion in the study
if they (1) received an affirmative diagnosed of OA by a veterinarian
and (2) demonstrated signs of pain according to assessment by
their owners, detectable lameness on visual gait assessment, and
painful joint(s) upon palpation. Complete blood count (CBC) and
serum chemistry were performed at presentation to rule out other
underlying disease. Dogs were excluded by the attending study
veterinarian if they exhibited evidence of uncontrolled renal,
endocrine, neurologic, or neoplastic disease or were undergoing
physical therapy. No cases of OA were related to trauma, and no
animals with end-stage disease were enrolled. All other medications
were discontinued at least 2 weeks before enrollment, and
dogs were not allowed to receive any medications during the 4-
week study period except the study medication. Large (.20 kg,
mean 41 6 15 kg) domestic canines were enrolled in the 4-week,
randomized placebo-controlled trial in which both owner and
veterinarian were blinded. After provision of informed owner
consent, 20 study subjects were randomly assigned 1:1:1:1 to 1
of 4 groups: placebo, 20 mg/day (0.5 mg/kg) naked CBD, 50 mg/
day (1.2mg/kg) naked CBD, or 20 mg/day liposomal CBD. Simple
randomization was achieved by providing the blinded study drug
regimens to the veterinary investigator in a randomized numerical
order labeled 1 to 20 as assigned by the rolling of a die. After
randomization, aggregate average weight of each study group
remained within one SD of all other study groups. Blood was
collected for CBC and clinical chemistry at initiation and at day 30 of
treatment. Before treatment initiation and at day 30, each dog was
evaluated by the study veterinarian who assessed locomotion
because it related to walking, running, and assuming a standing
position from both a sitting and lying down position on a 5-point
scale (1 5 best) during physical examination. Owners also
evaluated dogs before treatment and at weeks 4 and 6 using the
Helsinki Chronic Pain Index, a validated, 11-item assessment of
treatment response in dogs with OA pain scored ordinally on
a scale from 0 to 4.18
3. Results
Cannabidiol reduces proinflammatory TNF-a secretion in vitro. It has been widely reported that CBD possesses significant anti-inflammatory
properties in a variety of different experimental systems. Cannabidiol induces broad anti-inflammatory effects in vivo.
Cannabidiol treatment also significantly reduced the development of edema. Short-term administration of cannabidiol to domestic canines diagnosed with osteoarthritis is safe and improves quality of life.
4. Discussion
Arthritis is a painful degenerative condition that impacts the lives.
of almost a quarter of all Americans, with OA in particular
accounting for 60% of all-cause arthritis diagnoses.
We first validated the widely reported anti-inflammatory effects of CBD administration both in vitro and in vivo, demonstrating substantial impact on
inflammatory cytokines and innate immune cell subsets relevant to the pathophysiology of arthritis. Animals given a high dose of naked CBD or a low dose of liposomal encapsulated CBD experienced significant improvements in quality of life scores as documented by both owner and veterinarian assessments.
Daily administration of CBD for 30 days improves owner-perspective quality of life scores among large dogs with affirmative diagnosis of osteoarthritis.
Twenty large domestic canines with affirmative diagnosis of osteoarthritis were enrolled in a double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized study. Animals were
administered coconut oil placebo, 20-mg/day naked CBD, 50-mg/day naked CBD, or 20-mg/day liposomal CBD. Owners assessed their animals by means of observation.
5. Conclusions
In summary, we demonstrate here that the widely available supplement CBD exerts robust and quantifiable anti-inflammatory properties.
The results suggest that clinical studies in humans may be warranted in a variety of different etiologies and disease stages of arthritis.
This study, in short, showed that full spectrum CBD oil was of significant help in the treatment of pain, inflammation and discomfort resulting from arthritis. If you are experiencing similar issues, try CBD Tinctures using premium full spectrum CBD oil from Triple Crown Organics. High quality, affordable, effective.
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