A new study published in the Iranian Journal of Basic Medical Sciences found that cannabidiol (CBD) may help protect against lung ischemia-reperfusion injury, a serious condition linked to oxidative stress, inflammation and tissue damage.

The study was conducted by researchers from Burdur Mehmet Akif Ersoy University and Suleyman Demirel University.

For the study, researchers used 40 male Wistar albino rats divided into four groups: a control group, an ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury group, an IR group treated with CBD, and a CBD-only group. The CBD-treated animals received 5 mg/kg of cannabidiol.

Researchers evaluated lung tissue damage using histopathological, immunohistochemical, biochemical and gene expression analyses. In the IR group, rats showed significant signs of lung injury, including increased oxidative stress, inflammation and activation of cell death pathways. This included higher levels of TNF-α, caspase-3, total oxidant status and oxidative stress index, as well as increased activity in necroptosis-related markers RIPK1 and RIPK3.

CBD treatment significantly reduced these effects. The study found that CBD increased total antioxidant status while lowering oxidative stress markers. It also reduced TNF-α, indicating lower inflammation, and decreased caspase-3, a marker associated with apoptosis. In addition, CBD suppressed RIPK1 and RIPK3 expression, suggesting it helped limit necroptosis, a form of programmed cell death linked to tissue damage.

The researchers also found that CBD downregulated the HIF-1α/VEGF/eNOS signaling pathway, which is involved in the body’s response to low oxygen conditions.

“These findings demonstrate that CBD mitigates lung IR injury by targeting oxidative stress, inflammation, and cell death mechanisms, highlighting its potential as a therapeutic agent,” the study’s authors concluded.

The findings are limited to an animal model, and researchers said additional preclinical and clinical studies are needed to determine whether CBD could have similar protective effects in humans.