Pre-clinical evidence largely shows that CBD can produce beneficial effects in Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD) and multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, but its employment for these disorders needs further confirmation from well-designed clinical studies. CBD pre-clinical demonstration of antiepileptic activity is supported by recent clinical studies in human epileptic subjects resistant to standard antiepileptic drugs showing its potential use in children and young adults affected by refractory epilepsy. Evidence for use of CBD in PD is still not supported by sufficient data whereas only a few studies including a small number of patients are available.

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) creates a significant challenge for treating brain diseases. To overcome this barrier and effectively deliver drugs to the brain, nanotechnology has emerged as a powerful tool for drug targeting and delivery. This review examines the physiological aspects of the BBB, the role of its physical barriers, and the different transport mechanisms used to penetrate it. The review also highlights the feasibility of using nanocarriers, such as micelles, liposomes, dendrimers, microcapsules, and polymeric nanoparticles, for drug delivery across the BBB. These nanocarriers offer several advantages, including enhanced stability, high biocompatibility, and improved drug distribution and release. However, more research is needed to fully understand the neurobiological processes that regulate BBB function and investigate the safety and clinical efficiency of nanotechnology-based drug delivery for long-term therapy of severe neurological disorders.

Study summary:

Pomegranate extracts (PSO, PL, PP, and PJ) inhibited cholinesterase activity and reduced lipid accumulation in the brain and body in an in vivo study using rats on a high-fat diet. The extracts also protected the brain from oxidative stress, highlighting their neuroprotective effects. These findings suggest that pomegranate extracts could have potential benefits for brain health and cognitive function.

Conclusion: Nanotechnology has a potentially revolutionary impact on the basic understanding and therapeutic approaches of neuroscience. It may contribute significantly towards the development of nano-enabled drug delivery systems for the treatment of NDs, taking advantage of the nanoscale structures of neural cells. Nanotechnology research focused on the regeneration and neuroprotection of the CNS will significantly benefit from the parallel advances in neurophysiology and neuropathology research.

Punicic acid, found in pomegranate seed oil, has potential neuroprotective effects through several pathways, including intracellular mechanisms related to oxidative damage, synaptic function, inflammation, and lipid metabolism. It acts as an agonist of PPAR-γ, increases mRNA expression of PPAR-α, PPAR-β, PPAR-γ, and PPAR- γ, increases GLUT4 protein expression, and enhances the anti-oxidative properties of HDL and PON1 activity. Additionally, punicic acid can act as an inhibitor of calpain, which plays a role in ROS generation and HDL degradation. These findings suggest that punicic acid could be beneficial for preventing neurodegeneration.

Our study revealed that CBD-enriched hemp oil modulated the gene expression of antioxidant enzymes in a cell line-specific manner. Our findings suggest normal fibroblasts treated with CBD-enriched hemp oil have greater cellular resilience to oxidative stress, mainly through an increase in glutathione levels, in contrast with malignant melanoma cells.