New York, NY: Cannabidiol demonstrates bone-protecting activity in both cellular and animal models of osteoporosis, according to preclinical data published in the journal Calcified Tissue International.
Researchers affiliated with New York University’s Grossman School of Medicine investigated the effects of CBD in vitro using human osteoprogenitor cells and in vivo via a murine femur fracture model.
They reported that human cells pre-treated with CBD showed significantly higher levels of osteocalcin – a bone-producing hormone. They also reported that CBD-pretreated mice exhibited more rapid bone healing than controls.
“Collectively, these in vitro and in vivo findings suggest that CBD exerts cell-specific effects which can be exploited to enhance bone metabolism,” authors concluded. “These findings also indicate that CBD usage in an osteoporotic population may positively impact bone morphology, warranting further research.”
Research published well over a decade ago initially reported that activation of the CB2 cannabinoid receptor reduces experimentally-induced bone loss and stimulates bone formation. A study published in 2015 similarly reported that CBD administration promoted significant bone healing in rats with mid-femoral fractures.
Osteoporosis is a degenerative skeletal disease characterized by a deterioration of bone tissue. Approximately 10 million Americans over age 50 suffer from osteoporosis and another 34 million are at risk for developing the disease.
Full text of the study,” Non-psychoactive cannabidiol prevents osteoporosis in animal model and increases cell viability, proliferation, and osteogenic gene expression in human skeletal stem and progenitor cells,” appears in Calcified Tissue International.