RESEARCH - Cannabinoid analgesia in the treatment of chronic pain

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Ann Pharmacother. 2006 Feb;40(2):251-60. Epub 2006 Jan 31.

Cannabinoid analgesia as a potential new therapeutic option in the treatment

of chronic pain.

OBJECTIVE: To review the literature concerning the physiology of the

endocannabinoid system, current drug development of cannabinoid agonists,

and current clinical research on the use of cannabinoid agonists for

analgesia. DATA SOURCES: Articles were identified through a search of

MEDLINE (1966-August 2005) using the key words cannabis, cannabinoid,

cannabi(*), cannabidiol, nabilone, THC, pain, and analgesia. No search

limits were included. Additional references were located through review of

the bibliographies of the articles identified. STUDY SELECTION AND DATA

EXTRACTION: Studies of cannabinoid agonists for treatment of pain were

selected and were not limited by pain type or etiology. Studies or reviews

using animal models of pain were also included. Articles that related to the

physiology and pharmacology of the endocannabinoid system were evaluated.

DATA SYNTHESIS: The discovery of cannabinoid receptors and endogenous

ligands for these receptors has led to increased drug development of

cannabinoid agonists. New cannabimimetic agents have been associated with

fewer systemic adverse effects than delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, including

recent development of cannabis medicinal extracts for sublingual use

(approved in Canada), and have had promising results for analgesia in

initial human trials. Several synthetic cannabinoids have also been studied

in humans, including 2 cannabinoid agonists available on the international

market.

CONCLUSIONS: Cannabinoids provide a potential approach to pain management

with a novel therapeutic target and mechanism. Chronic pain often requires a

polypharmaceutical approach to management, and cannabinoids are a potential

addition to the arsenal of treatment options.

PMID: 16449552

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve & db=pubmed & dopt=Abstra\

ct & list_uids=16449552 & itool=iconabstr & query_hl=16 & itool=pubmed_DocSum

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s Hopkins Medicine

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