“Stroke represents a significant burden on global health and the economy, with high mortality rates, disability, and recurrence. Ischemic stroke is a serious condition that occurs when a blood vessel in the brain is interrupted, reducing the blood supply to the affected area.
Inflammation is a significant component in stroke pathophysiology. Neuroinflammation is triggered following the acute ischemic ictus, where the blood-brain barrier (BBB) breaks down, causing damage to the endothelial cells. The damage will eventually generate oxidative stress, activate the pathological phenotypes of astrocytes and microglia, and lead to neuronal death in the neurovascular unit. As a result, the brain unleashes a robust neuroinflammatory response, which can further worsen the neurological outcomes.
Neuroinflammation is a complex pathological process involved in ischemic damage and repair. Finding new neuroinflammation molecular targets is essential to develop effective and safe novel treatment approaches against ischemic stroke.
Accumulating studies have investigated the pharmacological properties of cannabinoids (CBs) for many years, and recent research has shown their potential therapeutic use in treating ischemic stroke in rodent models.
These findings revealed promising impacts of CBs in reducing neuroinflammation and cellular death and ameliorating neurological deficits.
In this review, we explore the possibility of the therapeutic administration of CBs in mitigating neuroinflammation caused by a stroke. We summarize the results from several preclinical studies evaluating the efficacy of CBs anti-inflammatory interventions in ischemic stroke.
Although convincing preclinical evidence implies that CBs targeting neuroinflammation are promising for ischemic stroke, translating these findings into the clinical setting has proven to be challenging. The translation hurdle is due to the essence of the CBs ability to cause anxiety, cognitive deficit, and psychosis. Future studies are warranted to address the dose-beneficial effect of CBs in clinical trials of ischemic stroke-related neuroinflammation treatment.”
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39899062/
“Recently, there has been increased interest in the use of cannabinoids (CBs) in stroke and other neurological disorders with a robust neuroinflammatory component.”
“CBs are naturally occurring compounds derived from the cannabis plant (Cannabis sativa L.), which have been utilized historically for their therapeutic effects.”
“In this systematic review, CBs showed remarkable effects against ischemic stroke-induced neuroinflammation in animal models through selective and nonselective activation/inhibition of CB receptors. Most CBs have the advantage of working on multiple targets, affecting many aspects of stroke pathology (Fig. 2). However, a wide range of CBs modulating neuroinflammation were found to be acting more through CB2Rs than CB1Rs, which is attributed to the close involvement of CB2Rs with the inflammatory cascades. Interestingly, simultaneous activation, inhibition, or a combination of both effects on CB1R and CB2R has demonstrated potential neuroprotective effects. This phenomenon is attributed to the biphasic nature of CBs, which allows them to modulate excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters in the brain.”
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11481-025-10171-z