Cannabis and joints: scientific evidence for the alleviation of osteoarthritis pain by cannabinoids

Melissa O'Brien; Jason J McDougall

doi:10.1016/j.coph.2018.03.012

Cannabis and joints: scientific evidence for the alleviation of osteoarthritis pain by cannabinoids

Curr Opin Pharmacol. 2018 Jun:40:104-109. doi: 10.1016/j.coph.2018.03.012. Epub 2018 Apr 7.

Authors

Melissa O'Brien¹, Jason J McDougall²

Affiliations

¹ Departments of Pharmacology and Anaesthesia, Pain Management & Perioperative Medicine, Dalhousie University, 5850 College Street, Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 4R2, Canada.
² Departments of Pharmacology and Anaesthesia, Pain Management & Perioperative Medicine, Dalhousie University, 5850 College Street, Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 4R2, Canada. Electronic address: [email protected].

PMID: 29635215
DOI: 10.1016/j.coph.2018.03.012

Abstract

Cannabis has been used for millennia to treat a multitude of medical conditions including chronic pain. Osteoarthritis (OA) pain is one of the most common types of pain and patients often turn to medical cannabis to manage their symptoms. While the majority of these reports are anecdotal, there is a growing body of scientific evidence which supports the analgesic potential of cannabinoids to treat OA pain. OA pain manifests as a combination of inflammatory, nociceptive, and neuropathic pain, each requiring modality-specific analgesics. The body's innate endocannabinoid system (ECS) has been shown to ameliorate all of these pain subtypes. This review summarizes the components of the ECS and details the latest research pertaining to plant-based and man-made cannabinoids for the treatment of OA pain. Recent pre-clinical evidence supporting a role for the ECS to control OA pain is described as well as current clinical evidence of the efficacy of cannabinoids for treating OA pain in mixed patient populations.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Review

MeSH terms

Analgesics / adverse effects
Analgesics / chemical synthesis
Analgesics / therapeutic use*
Animals
Arthralgia / drug therapy*
Arthralgia / metabolism
Arthralgia / pathology
Arthralgia / physiopathology
Cannabinoid Receptor Agonists / adverse effects
Cannabinoid Receptor Agonists / chemical synthesis
Cannabinoid Receptor Agonists / therapeutic use*
Cannabinoids / adverse effects
Cannabinoids / chemical synthesis
Cannabinoids / therapeutic use*
Endocannabinoids / metabolism*
Humans
Joints / drug effects*
Joints / metabolism
Joints / pathology
Joints / physiopathology
Medical Marijuana / adverse effects
Medical Marijuana / chemical synthesis
Medical Marijuana / therapeutic use*
Osteoarthritis / drug therapy*
Osteoarthritis / metabolism
Osteoarthritis / pathology
Osteoarthritis / physiopathology
Pain Measurement
Receptors, Cannabinoid / drug effects
Receptors, Cannabinoid / metabolism
Signal Transduction / drug effects
Treatment Outcome

Substances

Analgesics
Cannabinoid Receptor Agonists
Cannabinoids
Endocannabinoids
Medical Marijuana
Receptors, Cannabinoid