Cannabidiol (CBD) is a non-psychotomimetic compound from Cannabis sativa plant that produces antipsychotic effects in rodents and humans. It also reverses L-dopa-induced psychotic symptoms and improves motor function in Parkinson’s patients. This latter effect raised the possibility that CBD could have beneficial effects on motor related striatal disorders. To investigate this possibility we verified if CBD would prevent catalepsy induced by drugs with distinct pharmacological mechanisms. The catalepsy test is largely used to investigate impairments of motor function caused by interference on striatal function. Male Swiss mice received acute pretreatment with CBD (5, 15, 30 or 60 mg/kg, i.p.) 30 min prior to the D₂ receptor antagonist haloperidol (0.6 mg/kg), the non-selective nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitor L-nitro-N-arginine (L-NOARG, 80 mg/kg) or the CB₁ receptor agonist WIN55,212-2 (5 mg/kg). The mice were tested 1, 2 or 4 h after haloperidol, L-NOARG or WIN55,212-2 injection. Catalepsy duration was measured up to 5 min. These drugs significantly increased catalepsy time and this effect was attenuated dose-dependently by CBD. CBD, by itself, did not induce catalepsy. In a second set of experiments the mechanism of CBD effects was investigated. Thirty min before CBD (30 mg/kg) the animals received the 5-HT_1A receptor antagonist WAY100635 (0.1 mg/kg). The anticataleptic effect of CBD was prevented by WAY100635. These findings indicate that CBD can attenuate catalepsy caused by different mechanisms (D₂ blockade, NOS inhibition and CB₁ agonism) via 5-HT_1Areceptors activation, suggesting that it could be useful in the treatment of striatal disorders.
Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier Inc.

PMID:

 

23791616

 

[PubMed – as supplied by publisher]