07:43 AM EST, 11/23/2020 (MT Newswires) -- Canopy Growth Corporation (WEED.TO) and its medical division, Spectrum Therapeutics, have completed and published a new study on the long-term effects of cannabidiol (CBD), specifically focusing on toxicity and lifespan effects of CBD in the preclinical model C. elegans.
To the best of the company's knowledge, this study represents the first long-term toxicity and lifespan research regarding the effects of chronic exposure to cannabidiol - one of the cannabinoids found in cannabis.
Acute and long-term exposure studies of CBD at physiologically relevant concentrations were studied in the worm model Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) on the basis that 60-80% of their genes are shared with humans, and their comparatively short lifespan of 2-3 weeks makes such studies feasible. In the C. elegans model, (recognized as a valid model for this kind of research,) CBD did not demonstrate any degree of acute or life-long toxicity or related liabilities at physiological concentrations. Instead, CBD extended mean lifespan up to 18% and increased late-stage life activity by up to 206% compared to the untreated controls within the study.
The study was conducted in partnership with NemaLife Inc., and is published in Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research journal and available online.
Canopy noted that further research into the life-long use of CBD should be carried out in mammalian models.