Cannabinoids prevent cardiotoxicity caused by popular anti-psychotic

Quetiapine induces myocardial necroptotic cell death through bidirectional regulation of cannabinoid receptors

In Summary

Researchers have recently revealed that cannabinoids are able to inhibit cardiotoxicity caused by the antipsychotic Quetiapine, both in mice and during bench testing. Quetiapine is a popular atypical antipsychotic that has recently been come under fire for causing myocardial injury by inducing necroptosis. The featured study has elucidated the mechanism behind Quetiapine’s cardiotoxicity and identified the combination of cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1) antagonists and cannabinoid receptor 2 (CB2) agonists as a novel therapy. CB1 antagonists and CB2 agonists are able to inhibit the necroptosis induced by Quetiapine which should still make it a viable antipsychotic for those with access to medical cannabis.

This article highlights the negative side effects associated with antipsychotics. There is still no cure for schizophrenia or bipolar disorder and the current treatment of antipsychotics and antidepressants often have horrendous side-effects that often deter patients from taking their medications. Better medications need to be developed to treat psychiatric disorders in general, but if we are able to develop therapies that assist patient compliance rates it would also be a huge step forward for the psychiatric community. Further research should be conducted to determine if cannabinoids can aid in other side-effects of antipsychotics that patients find difficult to cope with.