J Bone Miner Res 2015 Oct;30(10):1905-13. doi: 10.1002/jbmr.2513. Epub 2015 May 10.
Authors: N. Kogan, E. Melamed, et al.
Background: Bones contain a fully functional endocannabinoid system (ECS), which is one of the systems that CBD interacts with. The ECS is known to regulate bone mass and skeletal remodeling. Osteoclasts, the cells that break down bones, are inhibited by activation of CB2 receptors. CBD is a regulator of CB2. As such, CBD might affect healing from bone injuries such as fractures.
Who was it? This study used rats to study the effect of CBD on fracture healing.
What was done? CBD was administered (with and without THC) over a six-week period and several outcomes were measured, including fracture callus size and the density and collagen crosslinking and stabilization. The fracture callus is the “new bone” that is laid down over the fracture site, and this bone is made of cross-linked type 1 collagen. These outcomes reflect the biomechanical properties of the fracture callus and the quality of bone healing.
What happened? CBD, but not THC, enhanced the strength of the healing fracture. CBD also increased the expression of a gene for a protein involved in collagen crosslinking. This happened in the late phases of bone healing.
Fringe Commentary: This study suggests that CBD can be used to facilitate fracture healing and sheds light on the role of CBD in bone condition. This research opens the possibility that CBD may be helpful in other bone-related disorders such as osteoporosis. Further research is needed to better understand the relationship between CBD, the ECS, and the human skeleton, and how CBD can be used to support bone health.
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