Summary: New research has found that cannabis-derived terpenes, which give plants their peculiar aroma, are effective treatments for pain and post-surgical pain. Terpenes like geraniol and linalool drastically reduced severe pain in experimental mouse models, making them encouraging alternatives to opioids and avoiding THC’s psychoactive side effects.
The terpenes appear to be acting through the A2a sensor, which suggests a possible stimulant mechanism. These findings allow for the development of novel, non-opioid medical options for severe and post-operative discomfort management.
Important Information
- Successful terpenes: Geraniol and alkaloid were the most potent terpenes for reducing pain and post-surgical pain.
- Other to opioids: Terpenes may offer safer alternatives without psychedelic side effects.
- Mechanism of action: Compounds help reduce problems by repressurize the A2a sensor.
University of Arizona
According to studies published in , Pharmacological Reports, compounds from the , Cannabis sativa , plant may be a useful medicines for pain and post-surgical problems pleasure.
The report builds on past studies led by John Streicher, PhD, a member of the Comprehensive Center for Pain & Addiction, and led by , Comprehensive Center for Pain & Addiction, that demonstrated the pain-relieving abilities of compounds in models of swelling and chemotherapy-induced neuropathic pain.
According to Streicher, a teacher in the U of A College of Medicine – Tucson’s Department of Pharmacology, “terpenes are not a good option for reducing acute pain caused by injuries like stifling your feet or touching a hot range,” the study found that while terpenes are not effective for treating chronic or neurotic pain, they actually cause significant pain reductions.
This research was the first to examine the effects of terpenes in experimental models of pain and post-operative discomfort and to expand the range of possible pain-relieving therapies made of terpenes.
Compounds, the substances that give flowers their aroma and taste, provide an alternate method of pain relief without the tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, psychedelic side effects that are unnecessarily present.
Streicher and the study team tested four compounds that are present in high to moderate amounts in the cannabis sativa strain: geraniol, alkaloid, beta-caryophylllene, and alpha-humulene.
In mouse models of post-operative anguish and pain, they discovered that each of the compounds provided higher levels of pain alleviation. The most potent level of pain alleviation was provided by geraniol, followed by phenol, beta-caryophylllene, and alpha-humulene.
There isn’t much knowledge of the problems state associated with pain, and there aren’t many effective treatments for it, according to Streicher.
Our findings indicate that compounds may be a viable treatment for symptoms pain, which has the potential to have a significant impact on an under-treated population.
Up to 5 % of the world’s population is affected by fibromyalgia, according to research published in Healthcare ( Basel ) in 2023.
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services ‘ Office on Women’s Health, about 4 million people in the country are affected by pain, which affects women more than males.
Post-surgical problems crosses the line between chronic pain and severe pain. Although it is typically brief in duration, it also has physiological changes that contribute to the problems, such as increased body problems program sensitization and inflammation.
Drugs work well to reduce post-surgical problems, but they can make you feel constipated, which can make adhesions and other post-surgical complications more common, according to Streicher.
This study suggests that compounds may be a tale therapeutic for post-operative problems because” we are constantly looking for better alternatives.”
According to studies published in the International Journal of Surgery for the year 2020, about 310 million big surgeries are performed worldwide each year.
The amount of basic research that Dr. Streicher’s test is conducting on compounds and their potential benefits for those who suffer from chronic pain is demonstrated by the importance of basic research.  ,
Todd Vanderah, PhD, chairman of the Comprehensive Center for Pain & Addiction at the University of Alberta Health Sciences and doctor and head of the U of A College of Medicine – Tucson, said,” There are lots of special chemicals that plants make, including the Cannabis flower, that are unknown.
Nature is amazing at creating distinctive biochemical structures, and many of these substances are unknowable when it comes to assisting with animal health, diseases, and disorders.  ,
” The drugs semaglutide, sold under the brand name Ozempic, has a substance architecture that was created from an animal that is common in the Southwest, the Gila monster,” is a fantastic present case. These discoveries made from natural products can lead to very important medications thanks to studies like Dr. Streicher’s.
The study also demonstrated that the compounds ‘ mechanism of action on post-surgical and fibromyalgia anguish was the same as it was in earlier studies. Adenosine A2a , a sensor that adrenaline goals and blocks, suggests a sedative effect that could be investigated in future research.
Caleb Seekins, an academic biology student who is currently pursuing a health amount at the College of Medicine – Tucson, Alyssa Welborn, an academic biology student who graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Pharmaceutical Sciences in 2024, and Abigail Schwarz, a doctoral student in Streicher’s lab, were Streicher’s co-authors.
Funding: This study received funding from the National Institutes of Health under grant number 00. R01AT011517.
About this news from the field of pain and neuropharmacology
Author: Phil Villarreal
Source: University of Arizona
Contact: Phil Villarreal – University of Arizona
Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News
Original research: Free of charge.
John Streicher and colleagues ‘ study showed that adenosine A2a receptors in mouse models of post-operative pain and fibromyalgia can inhibit the release of terpenes from Cannabis sativa. pharmacokinetic reports
Abstract
In mouse models of post-operative pain and fibromyalgia caused by adenosine A2a receptors, terpenes from Cannabis sativa are antinociceptive in these terpenes.
Background
The use of terpenes from marijuana and other substances makes pain management promising. Our research demonstrated that the terpenes geraniol, linalool, caryophyllene, and humulene relieve chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy via Adenosine A2a , receptors ( A2aR ).
This suggests that terpenes might be able to provide non-opioid, non-cannabinoid therapies. We explored post-operative and fibromyalgia pain in this study, expanding potential terpene applications to various pain types.
Methods
Both male and female CD-1 mice underwent paw incision surgery or reserpine-induced fibromyalgia ( 0.32 mg/kg; sc ), respectively. The baseline mechanical sensitivity was determined using von Frey filaments. The mice were given 200 mg/kg/nbsp, ip/nbsp, and ip/nbsp of a terpene after pain was established, and their mechanical sensitivity was determined over the course of three hours.
Mice were given the A2aR antagonist istradefylline (3. 2 , mg/kg,  , ip ) 10 , min before terpene to determine the potential mechanism of action. Mechanical sensitivity was measured after the dosage of the inhibitor. As a control, hot plate pain testing was carried out.
Results
The effects of terpene treatment on the mechanical thresholds of the mice from both pain models were time-dependent, with the strongest difference being for geraniol, linalool, and humulene, suggesting that these four terpenes are anti-nociceptive in post-surgical and fibromyalgia pain.
Antinociception was blocked by treatment with istradefylline, which suggests that these pain models ‘ terpenes interact with the A2aR. Non-specific motor effects were excluded because terpenes did not have an impact on hot plate latencies.
Conclusions
These results demonstrate that the terpenes geraniol, linalool, caryophyllene, and humulene may be effective treatments for treating post-operative and fibromyalgia pain.
Our understanding of its significance as a target of terpene drugs and as a mechanism of action via the A2aR expands our understanding of its significance.
