Canine Atopic Dermatitis: Systemic Indicators of Cannabis Therapy

Abstract

Background: The therapy for controlling Canine Atopic Dermatitis (CAD) involves a multidrug approach, which can often lead to frustration for both the responsible veterinarian and the owner When a satisfactory clinical response is not achieved. There is an increasing need to offer new options, especially in cases that are recurrent and challenging to control. Cannabis is becoming increasingly relevant for various therapies, and the unique presence of the endocannabinoid system (ECS) in specific skin cells makes it a candidate with high potential for treating this syndrome. Due to this strong connection between cannabis and therapeutic potential in the skin, combined with the difficulty of control, this work aimed to evaluate the safety of cannabinoid therapy considering it as a possible future treatment option for canine atopic dermatitis.

Materials, Methods and Results: For this, 14 canines with atopic dermatitis were divided into 2 groups: the treated group [using full-spectrum Cannabis oil with a higher prevalence of cannabidiol (CBD)] and the control group (treated with olive oil). The evaluation methods for the safety of the therapy were based on the evaluation of behavior, measurement of temperature and systolic blood pressure, blood glucose, and blood tests. The measurements were compared at the pre-treatment stage and at 60 days into the treatment with a protocol involving 2 administrations per day at a dosage of 2.5 mg/kg. Despite some significances, this work did not obtain statistically achieved results between the compared treatments.

Discussion: The World Health Organization (WHO) acknowledges the safety of treatment with canabidiol (CBD), but there is still limited research on its clinical applicability in veterinary medicine. Although not completely elucidated, the ECS plays a role in regulating anxiety and stress responses, with its effects dependent on oil profile, dosage, route of administration, as well as individual patient characteristics, which may explain the absence of significant findings. The ECS also effects cardiovascular function by controlling vascular tone, cardiac contractility, blood pressure, and vascular inflammation, which can result in hypo- or hypertension, as well as bradycardia or tachycardia. Despite the involvement of various receptors, there is currently no literature evaluating blood pressure similar to this study. Cannabinoids are also capable of dose-dependent alteration in body temperature, causing hypothermia at high doses and hyperthermia at low doses, through neurochemical mediators both pre- and postsynaptically or by directly acting on the hypothalamus. Temperature measurements remained within normal ranges, highlighting their safety in terms of thermoregulation. The ECA regulates blood glucose levels by modulating glycogenesis, glycogenolysis, and insulin activity in tissues; therefore, even with its direct and indirect action on pancreatic cells, it did not significantly alter glucose levels in animals within physiological ranges. In contrast, the blood test values, with alterations primarily related to red blood cell count and eosinophils, do not have current literature linking them to cannabis. On a biochemical level, while some studies report dose- and time-dependent increases in alkaline phosphatase (ALP), it is important to emphasize the safety of the present protocol. Like the literature, this study also presents occasional, mild, and self-limiting adverse effects. It is concluded that full-spectrum Cannabis oil high CBD has good safety and high tolerability for future adjunctive treatment to multimodal therapy of canine atopic dermatitis.

Keywords: blood pressure, blood test, Cannabis, glycemia, temperature.

Título: Dermatite atópica canina: indicadores sistêmicos do uso terapêutico da Cannabis

Descritores: pressão sanguínea, exame de sangue, Cannabis, glicemia, temperatura.