Formulation aspects and potential therapeutic applications of cannabidiol-loaded nano-formulations

Nanotechnology is one of the most promising technologies
of the 21st century and offers opportunities in all areas of
scientific research, such as medicine, pharmaceutical and
cosmetic sciences, medicinal chemistry, bioengineering,
genetic engineering and food technology. Nanocarriers and
innovative pharmaceutical formulations play a significant
role in improving the bioavailability of drugs or natural
molecules, with a specific enrichment at the target site (Pires et al., 2022).
Also, nanocarriers have been used as a potential platform for the targeted delivery of various
phytocompounds, including cannabidiol (CBD). Nano-
delivery systems help in improving the stability of
phytocompounds, enhance their absorption, protect them
from early enzymatic deprivation or metabolism within the
body, and extend their circulation time, thus limiting the
various adverse effects (Assadpour et al., 2023). The
modified nanocarriers improve the solubility and
permeability, and assist in the sustained delivery of CBD to
the targeted diseased sites, thus improving the
bioavailability. The cannabidiol is a non-psychoactive
cannabinoid isolated from Cannabis sativa L. and that has
not been shown to have any intoxicating effects. CBD
inhibits excitotoxicity and modifies cellular activity by
binding to CB1, CB2, and 5HT1A receptors. Numerous
illnesses, including neurological and metabolic disorders,
have been linked to CBD's anti-inflammatory and
antioxidant qualities. According to the Biopharmaceutics
Classification System (BCS), pharmacologically active CBD
intended for oral use is classified as Class II, due to their very low water solubility and high lipophilicity (12.6 mg/L, logP 6.3, pKa 9.29). CBD has a very poor oral bioavailability in plasma and tissues (around 6% and 1%, respectively) due to its high lipophilicity, sensitivity to light, and major breakdown in the duodenum (Barbara et al., 2021).
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
For the purposes of our research, we used literature research of several original and review articles indexed in the databases: PubMed, SCOPUS and WoS. For the complete
literature search in the indicated databases, we used the
following keywords: nanocarriers AND cannabidiol; nano-
formulations AND cannabinoids; niosomes AND
cannabidiol; liposomes AND cannabidiol.