Effects of cannabidiol and other phytocannabinoids on voltage- and ligand-gated ion channels

The Cannabis plant contains more than 500 chemical compounds, and about 120 of them are structurally related phytocannabinoids. Among these phytocannabinoids, cannabidiol (CBD), a major nonpsychotropic cannabinoid, is known to have anticonvulsant, antinociceptive, and antipsychotic effects. CBD, unlike Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol, does not activate cannabinoid receptors at therapeutically relevant concentrations and interacts with several molecular targets including G-protein coupled receptors, ion channels, and enzymes. In this report, direct effects of CBD, as well as other structurally related phytocannabinoids, on the functional properties of voltage- and ligand-gated ion channels and the plausible mechanisms mediating these effects were reviewed and discussed.