Cannabidiol reverses myeloperoxidase hyperactivity in the prefrontal cortex and striatum, and reduces protein carbonyls in the hippocampus in a ketamine-induced schizophrenia rat model.
Schizophrenia research April 1, 2025 Sofia de Almeida Queiroz, Linério Ribeiro de Novais Junior, Anita Beatriz Pacheco de Carvalho et al. 2 citations
In a rat model of schizophrenia induced by ketamine, cannabidiol (CBD) restored rearing behavior (a measure of exploratory activity) without causing anhedonia-like behavior, whereas risperidone further reduced rearing and induced anhedonia-like effects in control rats. CBD reversed ketamine-induced increases in myeloperoxidase activity in the prefrontal cortex and striatum and protein carbonyls in the hippocampus, while risperidone reduced protein carbonyls in the prefrontal cortex and lowered the nitrite/nitrate ratio in the hypothalamus. Both compounds reduced oxidative stress and neuroinflammation in the striatum, hippocampus, and prefrontal cortex, but CBD did so more broadly and without the side effects seen with risperidone. These findings suggest CBD's antipsychotic effects may stem from its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.