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Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2023 Sep 27;15(19):4173.
doi: 10.3390/nu15194173.

Eight Weeks of Daily Cannabidiol Supplementation Improves Sleep Quality and Immune Cell Cytotoxicity

Jacob N Kisiolek  1   2 , Victoria A Flores  1   3 , Arjun Ramani  1 , Blake Butler  1 , James M Haughian  4 , Laura K Stewart  1
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Eight Weeks of Daily Cannabidiol Supplementation Improves Sleep Quality and Immune Cell Cytotoxicity

Jacob N Kisiolek et al. Nutrients. .

Abstract

Background: The endocannabinoid system is active in nervous and immune cells and involves the expression of two cannabinoid receptor genes (CB1 and CB2), along with endogenous endocannabinoid ligands, 2-arachidonoyl glycerol (2-AG) and arachidonoyl ethanolamide (anandamide), and their synthetic enzymes. Cannabidiol (CBD) is a non-intoxicating exogenous cannabinoid agonist derived from plants that, at high doses, has received FDA approval as an anticonvulsant for epileptic seizures, and at low doses is marketed as a food-grade supplement for improved mental health, sleep quality, and immunological function. At present, the predominance of published CBD clinical research has focused on ameliorative or disease-specific intervention, with few trials investigating CBD effects in healthy populations.

Methods: This clinical study aimed to investigate the effects of 8 weeks of 50 mg oral CBD on mental health, sleep quantity and quality, and immune cell function in healthy, college-aged individuals. Twenty-eight participants (average age 25.9 ± 6.1 y) were randomized to receive either daily oral capsules of 50 mg of CBD (CB, n = 14) or a calorie-matched placebo (CN, n = 14). Participants completed pre- and post-intervention assessments, including anthropometric measurements, mental health surveys, sleep analysis, and immunological function assessments.

Results: After completing the 8-week intervention, there were no significant changes in body weight and BMI (CN: 1.09 ± 0.89%: CB: 1.41 ± 1.07%), or body fat percentage (CN: 9.01 ± 7.51%: CB: 8.57 ± 7.81%), respectively (values are % change pre to post, p > 0.05). There were also no significant differences between CB and CN groups with respect to mental health measures, sleep quantity, or circulating immunophenotype as a result of the intervention. However, the CB group experienced significant improvements in sleep quality measured objectively using a sleep questionnaire (p = 0.0023) and enhanced Natural Killer (NK) immune cell function assessed in situ (p = 0.0125).

Conclusions: Eight weeks of daily 50 mg CBD may improve sleep quality, and NK immunosurveillance in healthy, younger adults.

Keywords: cannabidiol; immunophenotype; mental health; natural killer cell; sleep; sleep quality.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure A1
Figure A1
Third-Party Purity Analysis.
Figure A1
Figure A1
Third-Party Purity Analysis.
Figure A1
Figure A1
Third-Party Purity Analysis.
Figure 1
Figure 1
Consort Flow Diagram. CBD cannabidiol, THC tetrahydrocannabinol.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Leeds Sleep Evaluation Questionnaire (LSEQ) and subscales measured on a visual analog scale: (a) LSEQ mean score pre to post 8-week CBD intervention: (b) Quality of Sleep subscale of the LSEQ score pre to post 8-week CBD intervention; (c) Awake Following Sleep subscale of the LSEQ score pre to post 8-week CBD intervention; * indicates p < 0.05; ** indicates p < 0.01, mm millimeters.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Immunophenotype analysis of peripheral blood mononuclear cells pre and post 8-week cannabidiol intervention (a) a visual representation of flow cytometry gaiting strategy; (b) CD3− CD56++; (c) CD3−CD56+; (d) CD3+CD56+ (e) CD3+CD56−; % of PBMC percentage of total peripheral blood mononuclear cells, SSC-A Side Scatter Area, FSC-A Forward Scatter Area, FSC-H Forward Scatter Height. * Indicates p < 0.05; *** indicates p < 0.001.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Cytotoxic analysis of PBMC towards K562 _target cells pre and post 8-week cannabidiol intervention and (a) percent live K562 cell differences at the 10:1 E:T cell ratio at the pre-intervention time point; (b) percent live K562 cell differences at the 10:1 E:T cell ratio at the post-intervention time point; (c) pre to post percent live K562 cell changes in CB; (d) pre to post percent live K562 cell changes in CN; (e) flow cytometric representation of K562 cell viability decreasing as the E:T cell ratios increase; CB Cannabidiol, CN Control, Pre Pre intervention, Post Post intervention, % Survived Leukemia Cells percentage of live cancer cells; ** indicates p < 0.01; mm millimeters.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Cytotoxic analysis of PBMC towards K562 _target cells pre and post 8-week cannabidiol intervention and (a) percent live K562 cell differences at the 10:1 E:T cell ratio at the pre-intervention time point; (b) percent live K562 cell differences at the 10:1 E:T cell ratio at the post-intervention time point; (c) pre to post percent live K562 cell changes in CB; (d) pre to post percent live K562 cell changes in CN; (e) flow cytometric representation of K562 cell viability decreasing as the E:T cell ratios increase; CB Cannabidiol, CN Control, Pre Pre intervention, Post Post intervention, % Survived Leukemia Cells percentage of live cancer cells; ** indicates p < 0.01; mm millimeters.
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