Commentary on the Role of Medicinal Cannabis in Healthy Aging and Neuroprotection

SALAS, SABRINA ROSICLER; MUSSO, FLORENCIA; PASCUAL, ANA CLARA

CURRENT MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY.

BENTHAM SCIENCE PUBL LTD

Año: 2025 vol. 32

0929-8673

Physiological aging (PA) is an inevitable neurodegenerativeprocess (NPs) during which cognitive functionsdecline. The increase in the number of older adults inthe global population, which is due to the rising life expectancy observed in recent years and projected to continue, is a major contributing factor to the increased incidence of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease (PD), and Huntington’s disease (HD).This represents a significant challenge and constitutes an elevated cost for healthcare systems [1]. As many biological mechanisms are deregulated, the etiology of PA remains a topic of debate within the medicalscientific community. The central nervous system (CNS) is highly vulnerable to PA; thus, research on possible therapies that mitigate the changes that occur in the aged brain is crucial for delaying its onset or improving life quality. Although numerous studies have examined possible strategies to prevent a single or only a few of the multiple processes that contribute to neurodegeneration in PA, none of them has been successful in mitigating all or most of these changes. As a result, the scientific community has focused on research aimed at finding multitarget therapies that can promote healthy aging. Nature has proven to be a rich source of bioactive compounds essential for discovering new molecules with therapeutic potential. Consequently, a key strategy in developing new therapies is identifying bioactive compounds of natural origin. Natural products have historically played a fundamental role in disease treatment, inspiring drug discovery due to their structural diversity. Many natural drugs and derivatives, such as rapamycin, metformin, resveratrol, and aspirin, among others, have shown promising results in treating agingrelated diseases [2].Moreover, natural therapies provide the advantage of avoiding undesirable side effects, particularly those observed in poly-medicated patients, a common condition during PA. Recent studies have shown that the plant Cannabis sp. (cannabis) exerts anti-aging effects through various cellular mechanisms [3] and holds significant therapeutic potential in NPs associated with diseases like AD and PD [4-6]. Therefore, in this commentary, we discuss the role of cannabis in NPs associated with PA.