Chronic Pain Management and CBG

Chronic pain remains a significant global health challenge, with current treatments often limited by side effects, addiction risks, and reduced effectiveness over time. A recent study from Yale researchers has identified alternative compounds with therapeutic potential — cannabis-derived chemicals that do not produce the mind-altering effects commonly associated with the drug.

The study focused on three cannabinoids — cannabidiol (CBD), cannabigerol (CBG), and cannabinol (CBN) — which reduced the activity of a protein involved in pain signaling within the peripheral nervous system. These findings, published on January 21 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, offer a promising new avenue for safe and effective pain relief, according to the researchers.

“These findings open new possibilities for the development of cannabinoid-based therapies,” said Mohammad-Reza Ghovanloo, lead author of the study and an associate research scientist in the Department of Neurology at Yale School of Medicine. “Our results, especially with CBG, show its strongest potential to provide effective pain relief without the risks associated with traditional treatments.”

Traditional pain medications, such as opioids, are known to carry the risk of addiction, a major factor in the ongoing opioid epidemic. In recent years, over 80,000 people in the U.S. have died annually from opioid overdoses. Ghovanloo also pointed out that cannabinoids may offer more effective pain management than other alternatives to opioids.

The cannabinoids studied in this research interact with a protein called Nav1.8, found in the cell membranes of sensory neurons in the spinal cord. Nav1.8 plays a crucial role in pain signal transmission by enabling repeated firing of these neurons. Blocking or reducing the activity of Nav1.8 has shown promise in alleviating pain in previous clinical studies.

In this study, the researchers observed changes in electrical current in rodent sensory neurons upon introducing CBD, CBG, and CBN. Each of the three cannabinoids decreased the electrical current linked to Nav1.8 activity. Among them, CBG exhibited the strongest inhibitory effect on Nav1.8.

These findings suggest that cannabinoids, particularly CBG, could provide a promising alternative to opioids for pain management, offering a safer and more effective approach.