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The Influence of Oral Cannabidiol on 24-h Ambulatory Blood Pressure and Arterial Stiffness in Untreated Hypertension: A Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Cross-Over Pilot Study

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Abstract

Introduction

Studies reveal that cannabidiol may acutely reduce blood pressure and arterial stiffness in normotensive humans; however, it remains unknown if this holds true in patients with untreated hypertension. We aimed to extend these findings to examine the influence of the administration of cannabidiol on 24-h ambulatory blood pressure and arterial stiffness in hypertensive individuals.

Methods

Sixteen volunteers (eight females) with untreated hypertension (elevated blood pressure, stage 1, stage 2) were given oral cannabidiol (150 mg every 8 h) or placebo for 24 h in a randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blind, cross-over study. Measures of 24-h ambulatory blood pressure and electrocardiogram (ECG) monitoring and estimates of arterial stiffness and heart rate variability were obtained. Physical activity and sleep were also recorded.

Results

Although physical activity, sleep patterns and heart rate variability were comparable between groups, arterial stiffness (~ 0.7 m/s), systolic blood pressure (~ 5 mmHg), and mean arterial pressure (~ 3 mmHg) were all significantly (P < 0.05) lower over 24 h on cannabidiol when compared to the placebo. These reductions were generally larger during sleep. Oral cannabidiol was safe and well tolerated with no development of new sustained arrhythmias.

Conclusions

Our findings indicate that acute dosing of cannabidiol over 24 h can lower blood pressure and arterial stiffness in individuals with untreated hypertension. The clinical implications and safety of longer-term cannabidiol usage in treated and untreated hypertension remains to be established.

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Acknowledgements

Funding

Sponsorship for the present study were funded by Lexaria Bioscience Corp. (Kelowna, BC, Canada). The funds provided by the sponsor to the authors were used to fund the Rapid Service Journal associated with Advances in Therapy.

Author Contributions

Study design: Zeljko Dujic; Data collection: Tanja Dragun, Ante Obad, Mikko Tulppo; Data Analyses: Mikko Tulppo, Courtney Brown. Original draft of manuscript was prepared by Tanja Dragun and Courtney Brown and all authors were involved in reviewing and editing the final version of the manuscript.

Disclosures

All authors, including Tanja Dragun, Courtney V. Brown, Mikko P. Tulppo, Ante Obad and Željko Dujić, declare that the study was sponsored by Lexaria Bioscience Corp., the company which manufactures the DehydraTECHTM2.0 used in the present study. All authors had full access to all of the data in this study and take complete responsibility for the integrity of the data and accuracy of the data analysis.

Compliance with Ethics Guidelines

The protocol, and all methods included, in the present study were reviewed and approved by the ethics review board at the University of Split, School of Medicine (certificate number: 2181-198-03-04-21-0001) and conformed to the latest revision of the Declarataion of Helsinki, except for registration in a data base. All participants provided written, informed consent prior to enrolling in the study.

Data Availability

The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Author notes

  1. Tanja Dragun and Courtney V. Brown are equally contributing co-first authors.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Integrative Physiology, University of Split School of Medicine, Šoltanska 2, 21000, Split, Croatia

    Tanja Dragun & Željko Dujić

  2. Centre for Heart, Lung and Vascular Health, School of Health and Exercise Sciences, University of British Columbia-Okanagan, Kelowna, BC, Canada

    Courtney V. Brown

  3. Research Unit of Biomedicine, Medical Research Center Oulu, University of Oulu, P.O. Box 5000, 90014, Oulu, Finland

    Mikko P. Tulppo

  4. Department of Health Studies, University of Split, Ruđera Boškovića 35, 21000, Split, Croatia

    Ante Obad

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  1. Tanja Dragun
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Željko Dujić.

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Dragun, T., Brown, C.V., Tulppo, M.P. et al. The Influence of Oral Cannabidiol on 24-h Ambulatory Blood Pressure and Arterial Stiffness in Untreated Hypertension: A Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Cross-Over Pilot Study. Adv Ther 40, 3495–3511 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12325-023-02560-8

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