The Efficacy of Phytocannabinoids in Alzheimer's disease: an integrative review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.55892/jrg.v9i20.3348Keywords:
Alzheimer's Disease, Cannabidiol, Phytocannabinoids, Biomarkers, Clinical EfficacyAbstract
Alzheimer's Disease (AD) represents a growing challenge for global public health systems, demanding new therapeutic interventions given the limited efficacy and adverse effects of conventional treatments. The objective of this study was to analyze the clinical efficacy and safety of phytocannabinoids in the management of AD and related dementias. An integrative literature review was conducted, structured under the PICO strategy and PRISMA guidelines, based on the identification of 269 records in databases such as MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, and LILACS, resulting in a final sample of 15 articles selected for analysis, including prospective studies and pipeline reviews up to the 2025/2026 period. The results evidence a dichotomy in the scientific literature: while recent clinical trials, such as the one conducted by Cury et al. (2025), demonstrate cognitive stabilization and significant improvement in mental test scores, such as the Mini-Mental State Examination, after 26 weeks of using balanced extracts of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD), previous systematic reviews, such as Cochrane (2021), maintain a tone of caution due to low certainty of evidence and clinical effects considered small. Concurrently, the use of fluid biomarkers, such as phosphorylated tau 217 (p-tau217), osteopontin (OPN), neuritin-1 (NRN1), and synaptosomal-associated protein 25 (SNAP-25), emerges as an essential tool for monitoring disease progression and therapeutic response. It was concluded that, although phytocannabinoids present a favorable safety profile and symptomatic therapeutic potential, large-scale and long-term multicentric clinical trials are imperative to consolidate their applicability in geriatric practice.
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