 Scientists have shown that an active ingredient of cannabis significantly up-regulates autophagy, extending both lifespan and health span in C. elegans worms, and providing benefits to mice. Two of the most well-known components of marijuana are tetrahydrocanabinol, or THC, and cannabidiol, or CBD. They have the same atomic composition, but differ in structure. THC provides the high that is often associated with marijuana use. CBD, on the other hand, is considered benign and seems to possess antipsychotic, pro-cognitive, anti-inflammatory, anti-seizure, and antibiotic properties. In 2018, the FDA approved Epidiolex, the first CBD-based prescription medication for some rare forms of epilepsy, and later for the treatment of some seizures. However, the research into these compounds is still in its infancy. In this new study, scientists dive deeper into the workings of CBD using C. elegans nematode worms, which are considered a good model for initial studies, including in geroscience. Previous research has shown that CBD can increase lifespan in C. elegans and zebrafish, but the mechanism had remained unknown. Another study had found that CBD induces autophagy in cultured neuronal cells. In this new study, the researchers attempted to investigate the relationship between these two effects. Autophagy is the process of clearing away various cellular debris, such as misfolded proteins and dysfunctional organelles. Unsurprisingly, this maintenance system appears to be very important for health and longevity, both in model organisms and in humans. The CBD treatment greatly increased autophagy in numerous tissues and cell types, most notably by 78% in neurons. The researchers then validated those findings in vitro on numerous cell types, including mouse neurons. Importantly, impaired autophagy in the brain is considered a major cause of Alzheimer's disease. Worms on CBD also lived much longer than controls. While numerous compounds and interventions have been shown to increase the short lifespan of C. elegans, some by much larger margins, this was a significant increase and a good indication that the treatment made the worms healthier. The researchers also measured the worms' health span. Three popular health metrics that decline with age and C. elegans are pharyngeal pumping rate, reproductive capacity, and locomotion. And all three were restored, rather than impaired, by CBD treatment. With age, neurons and C. elegans undergo morphological changes, acquiring an irregular shape. The CBD treatment was able to mitigate the number of these irregularly shaped neurons. CBD also led to an increase in neurite length and spine density, two measures of health in mouse neurons. The CERT1 gene has been a popular object of study in geroscience. By knocking out the CERT1 gene in mouse neurons, researchers were able to eliminate many of the benefits of CBD treatment. This points to the important role that CERT1 has in mediating CBD induced benefits. CBD is an intriguing compound that might have numerous benefits. This study expands our understanding and links CBD to autophagy. Because CBD demonstrates this effect in neurons, it could become a potential anti-alsimers drug. Obviously, the fact that CBD appears to increase autophagy in worms does not mean that using marijuana will make humans healthier. We need a lot more studies in human trials on CBD and other compounds before we can say anything like that. When there's more to share, we'll have it for you here. So please subscribe so you don't miss out. I'm Ryan O'Shea and we'll see you next time on Lifespan News.