CBD may help smokers kick the habit, study finds

A new study has found that cannabidiol, or CBD, the non-psychoactive component of cannabis, inhibits nicotine metabolism. (CREDIT: Creative Commons)

A new study has found that cannabidiol, or CBD, the non-psychoactive component of cannabis, inhibits nicotine metabolism, meaning it may help smokers curb the urge to smoke their next cigarette.

A team of researchers from Washington State University tested the effects of CBD and its major metabolite on human liver tissue and cell samples, showing that it inhibits a key enzyme in nicotine metabolism. For nicotine addicts, slowing down the drug’s metabolism may allow them to wait before they feel the need to inhale more nicotine, along with all the other harmful things found in cigarette smoke.

More research is needed to confirm these effects in humans and determine dosage levels, but these results are encouraging, said Philip Lazarus, WSU professor of pharmaceutical sciences.

“The whole mission is to reduce the harms of smoking, not from nicotine per se, but from all the carcinogens and other chemicals in tobacco smoke,” said Lazarus, senior author of the study, published in the journal Chemical Research in Toxicology. . . “If we can minimize this harm, it will be very beneficial for human health.”

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Cigarette smoking continues to be a major health problem, with one in five people in the US dying each year from smoking-related causes. While many other nicotine delivery methods, including vaping, snuff, and chewing, are often considered less harmful, they also contain chemicals that can cause cancer and other diseases.

In this study, the researchers tested CBD and its main metabolite, that is, what it turns into in the body, 7-hydroxycannabidiol, on microsomes from human liver tissue, as well as microsomes from specialized cell lines, which allowed them to focus on individual enzymes. related to nicotine metabolism.

They found that CBD inhibited several of these enzymes, including a key one for nicotine metabolism, identified as CYP2A6. Another study showed that over 70% of nicotine is metabolized by this enzyme in most smokers.

Cannabis-based products began to be consumed along with tobacco products. Graphic abstraction. (CREDIT: Chemical Research in Toxicology)

The effect of CBD on this particular enzyme appeared to be quite strong, inhibiting its activity by 50% at relatively low concentrations of CBD.

“In other words, it looks like you don’t need a lot of CBD to see the effect,” Lazarus said.

Screening for CBD and 7-OH-CBD inhibition of major nicotine metabolic pathways in microsomes. (CREDIT: Chemical Research in Toxicology)

The Lazarus team is currently developing a clinical trial to study the effects of CBD on nicotine levels in smokers by measuring their blood nicotine levels compared to placebo smokers over six to eight hours. Then they hope to do a much larger study looking at CBD and nicotine addiction.

In addition to Lazarus, co-authors of the current study include first author Shamema Nasrin, Shelby Coates, Kathy Bardy, and Christy Watson of the WSU College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Joshua Muskat of the Pennsylvania State Cancer Institute. This study was supported by a grant from the National Institutes of Health.

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Note: Materials provided above by the University of Washington. Content can be edited for style and length.

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