Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32183416›Full record

ReviewPharmaceutics2020

Cannabinoids, Blood-Brain Barrier, and Brain Disposition.

Fabrizio Calapai, Luigi Cardia, Emanuela Elisa Sorbara, Michele Navarra, Sebastiano Gangemi, Gioacchino Calapai, Carmen Mannucci

Open access · goldAbstract readReview
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Review in Pharmaceutics, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 61 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
61citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
11.0field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

61 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 120 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Trial
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Review
  6. Review
  7. Efficacy of Cannabidiol in Reducing Virulence ofInternational journal of molecular sciences · 2026
    Article
  8. Review
  9. Review
  10. Article
  11. Cannabidiol-Ion Channel Interactions Represent a Promising Preventive and Therapeutic Strategy in Hepatocellular Carcinoma.Pathophysiology : the official journal of the International Society for Pathophysiology · 2026
    Review
  12. Article
  13. Review
  14. Article
  15. Article
  16. Cannabinoids rescue migraine symptoms caused by central CGRP administration in mice.Cephalalgia : an international journal of headache · 2025
    Article
  17. Article
  18. Article
  19. Review
  20. Article

1 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Fabrizio CalapaiDepartment of Biomedical and Dental Sciences and Morphological and Functional Imaging, University of Messina, 98125 Messina, Italy.
Luigi CardiaAnesthesia, Intensive Care and Pain Therapy, A.O.U.G. Martino Messina, University of Messina, 98125 Messina, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-7286-5674
Emanuela Elisa SorbaraDepartment of Biomedical and Dental Sciences and Morphological and Functional Imaging, University of Messina, 98125 Messina, Italy.
Michele NavarraDepartment of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical and Environmental Sciences, University of Messina, 98166 Messina, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-6492-7820
Sebastiano GangemiSchool and Division of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Messina, 98125 Messina, Italy.
Gioacchino CalapaiDepartment of Biomedical and Dental Sciences and Morphological and Functional Imaging, University of Messina, 98125 Messina, Italy.
Carmen MannucciDepartment of Biomedical and Dental Sciences and Morphological and Functional Imaging, University of Messina, 98125 Messina, Italy.ORCID 0000-0003-1292-6284
University of Messina · IT

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Potential therapeutic actions of the cannabinoids delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) are based on their activity as analgesics, anti-emetics, anti-inflammatory agents, anti-seizure compounds. THC and CBD lipophilicity and their neurological actions makes them candidates as new medicinal approaches to treat central nervous system (CNS) diseases. However, they show differences about penetrability and disposition in the brain. The present article is an overview about THC and CBD crossing the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and their brain disposition. Several findings indicate that CBD can modify the deleterious effects on BBB caused by inflammatory cytokines and may play a pivotal role in ameliorating BBB dysfunction consequent to ischemia. Thus supporting the therapeutic potential of CBD for the treatment of ischemic and inflammatory diseases of CNS. Cannabinoids positive effects on cognitive function could be also considered through the aspect of protection of BBB cerebrovascular structure and function, indicating that they may purchase substantial benefits through the protection of BBB integrity. Delivery of these cannabinoids in the brain following different routes of administration (subcutaneous, oral, and pulmonary) is illustrated and commented. Finally, the potential role of cannabinoids in drug-resistance in the clinical management of neurological or psychiatric diseases such as epilepsy and schizophrenia is discussed on the light of their crossing the BBB.

Indexed as

blood–brain barrierbrain deliverybrain dispositioncannabidiolcannabinoidsCBDdelta-9-tetrahydrocannabinolTHC

Identifiers

PMID32183416
PMCPMC7150944
OpenAlexW3011000016

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.