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Background and Aims Thirty percent of cancer patients experience chemotherapy-induced chronic neuropathy (CIN), which is still an unmet clinical challenge because current standard treatments have significant side effects and are not very effective. Because they are highly expressed in the nervous system, cannabinoid receptors offer a promising target for CIN treatment. Although the plant itself might not have the same analgesic effect as an active pharmaceutical substance, its use as an adjuvant to traditional analgesic treatment would be justified given its reduced adverse effects when administered orally. The aim of this study was to evaluate the in vivo efficacy of an EU-GMP-certified Cannabis sativa L. in a paclitaxel-induced chronic neuropathy (PIN) mouse model.

Methods To evaluate the analgesic effects on PIN in mice, a standard pain test battery was used, consisting of two thermal sensitivity tests and one pressure test. The experimental study was performed in accordance with the European Directive 2010/63/EU and has been approved by the university’s Research Ethics Committee (no. 47/17.02.2021) and authorized by the National Sanitary Veterinary and Food Safety Authority (no. 34/07.04.2021).

Results The tested product exhibited a variable analgesic effect across the three tests used, with the effect being more noticeable in the pressure stimulus test.

Conclusions It is challenging to translate cannabis into the clinic, but finding novel ways to reduce CIN could significantly enhance the quality of life for millions of cancer survivors. Although more research is required to confirm these results, the existing findings are encouraging.