Cannabigerol (CBG) and a full-spectrum cannabis extract both reduced inflammatory pain and inflammation in animal models, according to a new study published in the journal Psychopharmacology.
Researchers compared isolated CBG with a standardized full-spectrum cannabis extract in models of both acute and chronic inflammatory pain. The full-spectrum extract was predominantly CBD, containing 96 milligrams per milliliter of CBD and 2.4 milligrams per milliliter of THC, along with minor cannabinoids and a roughly 3.8% terpene fraction.
In the acute pain experiment, CBG and the full-spectrum extract both significantly reduced pain-related behaviors during the initial phase following the induction of inflammation. CBG at 3 mg/kg reduced those behaviors by 87.1%, while the full-spectrum extract reduced them by 93.3% at 3 mg/kg and 99.2% at 10 mg/kg.
However, only the 3 mg/kg dose of the full-spectrum extract continued to significantly reduce pain behavior during the later inflammatory phase, producing a 90.2% reduction.
Researchers then tested the treatments in a model of persistent inflammatory pain, administering CBG or the full-spectrum extract once daily for 21 days.
A single treatment did not produce significant pain relief. With repeated treatment, however, the highest doses of both compounds significantly improved sensitivity to mechanical pain. The full-spectrum extract began producing significant effects by day 10, while CBG fully restored pain sensitivity to baseline levels beginning on day 15.
Both treatments also countered inflammation-related declines in movement and reduced levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), a pro-inflammatory signaling protein, in the spinal cord and blood plasma. Neither treatment significantly reduced elevated TNF-α in the dorsal root ganglia, suggesting their anti-inflammatory effects varied by tissue.
The researchers said the findings indicate distinct profiles for the two treatments, with the full-spectrum extract producing pain relief sooner and CBG having a more sustained effect once it became effective.
“To our knowledge, this is the first study directly comparing these phytocannabinoids across two distinct pain models,” the researchers said.
