Marijuana And Chronic Pain: Gb Sciences' Nanoparticle Technology Boosts Efficacy Of Cannabis Terpenes

Gb Sciences, Inc. GBLX revealed Tuesday that its sponsored study investigating the effect of nanoparticle encapsulation of three cannabis-based terpenes on their potential efficacy in pain management was published in the International Journal of Pharmaceutics on March 25.

For the Gb Sciences-sponsored study, researchers at the University of Seville in Spain have developed time-released, oral nanoparticles to deliver Gb Sciences' patent-protected chronic pain formulations, which are based on synergistic mixtures of terpenes. Terpenes are normally highly volatile, highly lipophilic molecules that are difficult to formulate into stable drug products, so Gb Sciences and their colleagues believe that nanocarriers can improve their stability, solubility, and bioavailability.

"This research represents an important advance in the creation of novel terpene-containing pharmaceutical products for chronic pain, which have the potential to deliver relief over time in a safer and more efficient manner through our time-released delivery technology," stated Dr. Andrea Small-Howard, president and chief science officer of Gb Sciences, who co-authored the paper with researchers from the University of Seville in Spain and Chaminade University in Hawai'i. "There was a considerable technological challenge to developing a suitable drug delivery system for terpenes. This study demonstrates how nanomedicines offer an elegant solution for administering these efficacious molecules and opens up new opportunities for their use in chronic pain medicines."

The company highlighted that in the U.S. alone, chronic pain represents an estimated health burden of between $560 and $650 billion dollars, and an estimated 20.4% of U.S. adults suffer from chronic pain that significantly decreases their quality of life.

The study found that the encapsulated terpene nanoparticles produced significantly higher calcium responses alone or in combinations versus the free terpenes alone or in combinations. The elevated calcium responses through the TRPV1 channels indicate greater activation of these pain receptors, which can have an analgesic effect via desensitization of these important pain receptors.

In addition to its potential therapy for chronic pain, Gb Sciences has four other advanced preclinical-stage programs, including a Parkinson's disease treatment being prepared to enter a first-in-human clinical trial.