CBD/THC extract reduced inflammation and improved movement after spinal cord injury in rats

After acute spinal cord injury, the cannabis extract increased anti-inflammatory (arginase-1 positive) microglial cells at the injury site, decreased pro-inflammatory microglia and reactive astrocytes, downregulated inflammatory genes (IL-1beta, TNF-alpha, IL-6, C3), and upregulated anti-inflammatory markers (ARG-1, MRC). In the chronic phase, it prevented cyst expansion, preserved gray and white matter, and improved locomotor scores across three different movement tests.

Rats received acute spinal cord injury followed by treatment with a standardized Cannabis sativa extract containing CBD and THC in equimolar concentrations. Researchers analyzed inflammatory cell populations, gene expression, tissue sparing, cyst formation, and locomotor function using open field, rotarod, and horizontal ladder walking tests.

Spinal cord injury affects hundreds of thousands of people worldwide, and neuroinflammation in the first days after injury drives much of the secondary damage that worsens outcomes. Finding treatments that can shift the inflammatory response early could significantly improve long-term recovery.

This study adds to growing evidence that cannabinoids can modulate neuroinflammation in a beneficial direction. The fact that both acute inflammation markers and chronic structural damage were reduced, leading to functional improvement, suggests the extract works on multiple phases of the injury cascade.

Single animal study using one extract at presumably one dose. Only the equimolar CBD:THC ratio was tested, so optimal ratios remain unknown. Spinal cord injury models in rats do not fully replicate human injuries. Long-term outcomes beyond the study period are unknown.