Cannabis and Canabidinoids on the Inflammatory Bowel Diseases: Going Beyond Misuse

• Main Authors: Antonelly Cassio Alves de Carvalho, Gabriela Achete de Souza, Samylla Vaz de Marqui, Élen Landgraf Guiguer, Adriano Cressoni Araújo, Claudio José Rubira, Ricardo de Alvares Goulart, Uri Adrian Prync Flato, Patricia Cincotto dos Santos Bueno, Rogério Leone Buchaim, Sandra M. Barbalho
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2020-04-01
• Series: International Journal of Molecular Sciences
• Subjects: inflammatory bowel disease; ulcerative colitis; Crohn’s disease; cannabis; cannabidiol
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/21/8/2940
• ISSN: 1661-6596; 1422-0067

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are characterized by a chronic and recurrent gastrointestinal condition, including mainly ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CD). <i>Cannabis sativa</i> (CS) is widely used for medicinal, recreational, and religious purposes. The most studied compound of CS is tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD). Besides many relevant therapeutic roles such as anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, there is still much controversy about the consumption of this plant since the misuse can lead to serious health problems. Because of these reasons, the aim of this review is to investigate the effects of CS on the treatment of UC and CD. The literature search was performed in PubMed/Medline, PMC, EMBASE, and Cochrane databases. The use of CS leads to the improvement of UC and CD scores and quality of life. The medical use of CS is on the rise. Although the literature shows relevant antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects that could improve UC and CD scores, it is still not possible to establish a treatment criterion since the studies have no standardization regarding the variety and part of the plant that is used, route of administration and doses. Therefore, we suggest caution in the use of CS in the therapeutic approach of IBD until clinical trials with standardization and a relevant number of patients are performed.