Rat study finds acute CBD effects on sexual motivation, not chronic impairment

Cannabidiol (CBD), a non-intoxicating, psychoactive phytocannabinoid, is being explored for its therapeutic potential on a variety of disorders. Marketed as an over-the-counter drug, it is freely available to the public. As a central nervous system acting drug, CBD has the potential to produce sexual effects, especially after its chronic use. This study characterizes the sexual effects of acute and chronic CBD oral treatment in sexually experienced male rats that were either sexually active (n = 8 per group), as a model of optimal copulatory activity, or sexually satiated (n = 8 per group), as a model of inhibited sexual behavior and decreased sexual motivation. Acute administration of CBD to sexually active males produced biphasic, dose-dependent effects on mount and intromission latencies, parameters linked to sexual motivation. In sexually satiated rats, acute treatment with CBD reversed the sexual inhibitory state at a specific dose, which also increased sexual motivation in the sexual incentive motivation test. Chronic treatment (14 days) with low and high doses of CBD did not impair male rat sexual behavior expression in the sexually active male rats. Results show that acute ingestion of CBD has prosexual effects, mainly manifested in sexual motivation, which were particularly evident in the sexually inhibited male rats. CBD chronic treatment did not produce unwanted sexual effects in the sexually active males, suggesting that it does not negatively affect male sexual behavior. The therapeutic potential of acute treatment with CBD for sexual dysfunctions involving motivational deficits should be explored.