Cannabinoids and healthy ageing: the potential for extending healthspan and lifespan in preclinical models with an emphasis on Caenorhabditis elegans

Abstract

There is a significant global upsurge in the number and proportion of older persons in the population. With this comes an increasing prevalence of age-related conditions which pose a major challenge to healthcare systems. The development of anti-ageing treatments may help meet this challenge by targeting the ageing process which is a common denominator to many health problems. Cannabis-like compounds (cannabinoids) are reported to improve quality of life and general well-being in human trials, and there is increasing preclinical research highlighting that they have anti-ageing activity. Moreover, preclinical evidence suggests that endogenous cannabinoids regulate ageing processes. Here, we review the anti-ageing effects of the cannabinoids in various model systems, including the most extensively studied nematode model, Caenorhabditis elegans. These studies highlight that the cannabinoids lengthen healthspan and lifespan, with emerging evidence that they may also hinder the development of cellular senescence. The non-psychoactive cannabinoid cannabidiol (CBD) shows particular promise, with mechanistic studies demonstrating it may work through autophagy induction and activation of antioxidative systems. Furthermore, CBD improves healthspan parameters such as diminishing age-related behavioural dysfunction in models of both healthy and accelerated ageing. Translation into mammalian systems provides an important next step. Moreover, looking beyond CBD, future studies could probe the multitude of other cannabis constituents for their anti-ageing activity.