Breakthrough: Two Cannabinoids Team Up Against Seizures

Current antiseizure therapy for epilepsy is only effective in about 70% of the patient population. Previous studies had shown that the addition of small amounts of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) made cannabidiol (CBD) much more potent in the maximal electroshock seizure (MES) model. The psychotoxic effects of THC make it unsuitable as an antiseizure therapy. The current study investigated the effects of combining CBD with the non-psychotoxic cannabinoid cannabigerol (CBG) in the MES model in mice. Mice were administered (i.p.) CBD or CBG or a combination of both before undergoing the MES procedure. Dose-response and dose-toxicity curves were generated for each compound and combinations. It was found that CBG has antiseizure properties and that it potentiates the effects of CBD. By using a 1:1 ratio combination of CBD and CBG, the ED50 for CBD was reduced by over 50% and the TD50 for CBD was reduced by 40%, indicating increased toxicity. This suggests that the interaction between CBD and CBG may be additive in nature. Both drugs showed little toxicity at therapeutic doses. This is the first study to provide detailed dose-response data for CBG as well as CBG in combination with CBD in a seizure model and suggests that the two drugs could act in a similar manner to suppress seizures. Cannabinoids have been examined as potential antiseizure drugs but psychotoxic effects and low potency have been problematic. The present study determines dose–response and dose–toxicity relationships for the non‐psychotoxic cannabinoids CBG and CBD in the MES model and finds that CBG has antiseizure effects on its own and can potentiate the antiseizure effects of CBD, possibly in an additive manner. This suggests that CBG and CBD could use similar mechanisms for their antiseizure effects. This study is the first to present antiseizure effects of CBG as well as provide detailed dose–response and dose–toxicity data of CBG in combination with CBD.