But a new study by scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies indicates that CBN can protect nerve cells from oxidative damage, a major pathway to cell death.
In the study, the scientists treated nerve cells with CBN and then introduced an agent to stimulate oxidative damage.
In damaged cells, oxidation caused the mitochondria to curl up — a change that also has been seen in aging cells taken from the brains of people with Alzheimer’s.
And because CBN works independently of cannabinoid receptors, CBN could also work in a wide variety of cells with ample therapeutic potential,” said first author Zhibin Liang, a postdoctoral fellow in the Maher lab.
The university said that while no conclusions can be drawn until the study is completed, investigators believe the THC and THC/CBD combinations will prove to be the superior treatments.