CBN shows a positive effect on degenerative brain disease apart from the endocannabinoid system (ECS)

Published in February 2022 in Free Radical Biology and Medicine, this study examined the effects of CBN on neurodegenerative disease (brain degradation), specifically unwanted oxytosis/ferroptosis regulated cell death.

They found that CBN inhibited oxytosis/ferroptosis (healthy cell death) by directly targeting mitochondria, and not by its interaction with the encocannabinoid system (ECS). This is important because most of the literature focuses on the ECS, yet we are learning that CBN, and other cannabinoids interact with many more systems in humans.

CBN was shown to help maintain mitochondrial function critical for neuroprotection and healthy brains. They also found that CBN activates internal antioxidant defenses and AMPK signaling (an energy sensor that regulates cellular metabolism).

"Specifically, CBN directly targets mitochondria and preserves key mitochondrial functions including redox regulation, calcium uptake, membrane potential, bioenergetics, biogenesis, and modulation of fusion/fission dynamics that are disrupted following induction of oxytosis/ferroptosis."

The abstract is available here at ScienceDirect.com.