Clinical Trial Baylor MedTerra 2020

A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of daily cannabidiol for the treatment of canine osteoarthritis pain – 2020

Chris D. Verricoa, Shonda Wessonc , Vanaja Kondurid , Colby J. Hofferekd , Jonathan Vazquez-Perezd , Emek Blaire, Kenneth Dunner, Pedram Salimpourg , William K. Deckerd, Matthew M. Halpertd

Method: Cannabidiol, provided by MedterraCBD (Irvine, CA), was isolated solely from hemp grown and extracted under the strict guidelines of the Kentucky Department of Agricultural Industrial Hemp pilot program. Subsequent analysis by third party (ProVerde Laboratories, Milford, MA) mass spectrometry confirmed the absence of D9-THC, other cannabinoid derivatives, and contaminants while further HPLC testing demonstrated CBD isolate purity of 99.9%. For all assays, CBD was solubilized in fractionated coconut oil.

Canine Study: Osteoarthritis veterinary trial design Canine veterinary studies were performed with oversight as stipulated by Baylor College of Medicine IACUC protocol AN7705. The study population consisted of client-owned dogs presenting to Sunset Animal Hospital (Houston, TX) for evaluation and treatment of lameness due to OA. Owners completed a brief questionnaire to define the affected limb(s), duration of lameness, and duration of analgesic or other medications taken. Dogs were considered for inclusion in the study if they (1) received an affirmative diagnosed of OA by a veterinarian and (2) demonstrated signs of pain according to assessment by their owners, detectable lameness on visual gait assessment, and painful joint(s) upon palpation. Complete blood count (CBC) and serum chemistry were performed at presentation to rule out other underlying disease. Dogs were excluded by the attending study veterinarian if they exhibited evidence of uncontrolled renal, endocrine, neurologic, or neoplastic disease or were undergoing physical therapy. No cases of OA were related to trauma, and no animals with end-stage disease were enrolled. All other medications were discontinued at least 2 weeks before enrollment.

Results: In this study, neither animals given placebo nor animals given a low daily dose of naked CBD responded to therapy in any significant fashion. Conversely, animals given a high dose of naked CBD or a low dose of liposomally encapsulated CBD experienced significant improvements in quality of life scores as documented by both owner and veterinarian assessments. CBD significantly attenuated the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-6 and TNF-α while elevating levels of anti-inflammatory IL-10. In addition, CBD significantly decreased pain and increased mobility in a dose-dependent fashion among animals with an affirmative diagnosis of osteoarthritis. In summary, we demonstrate here that the widely available supplement CBD exerts robust and quantifiable anti-inflammatory properties in experimental systems. These experimental results were translatable in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in a spontaneous canine model of OA.

Citation: April 2020 Pain DOI: 10.1097/ j.pain. 0000000000001896

http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/j.pain.0000000000001896