A novel cannabidiol:tetramethylpyrazine cocrystal (CBD:TMP, ART12.11) improves the efficacy and bioavailability of cannabidiol in reducing stress-induced depressive and anxiety symptoms

Clinical and pre-clinical research has reported promising outcomes for cannabidiol (CBD) in treating mood and anxiety disorder symptoms. However, the pharmacokinetic properties of CBD, such as low and variable bioavailability and low aqueous solubility, limit its therapeutic applications. This study investigated the effects of ART12.11, a novel cannabidiol:tetramethylpyrazine (CBD:TMP) cocrystal, that aims to improve the pharmacotherapeutic potential of CBD by combining it with the co-former tetramethylpyrazine (TMP) to improve CBD's pharmaceutical properties. We used an integrative combination of translational behavioural pharmacology alongside targeted gene and protein expression analyses to characterize the potential anti-depressant and anxiolytic-like effects of ART12.11 in male Sprague Dawley rats, following exposure to chronic stress. In addition, we investigated blood plasma concentrations of CBD and TMP following oral administration of ART12.11 to examine bioavailability. We report that oral administration of ART12.11 reversed stress-induced behavioural deficits and produced significant anti-depressant and anxiolytic-like behavioural effects, which were superior to oral administration of CBD alone, TMP alone, or the co-administration of a non-crystalline mixture of CBD and TMP. Further, we report that ART12.11 resulted in higher blood plasma levels of CBD and its major metabolite, indicating superior bioavailability. Finally, we demonstrate that ART12.11 increased activation of the endocannabinoid and serotonergic systems directly in the prefrontal cortex, ventral hippocampus, and nucleus accumbens. Collectively, our findings indicate that ART12.11 may offer significant advantages over delivering CBD by more traditional approaches in the treatment of mood and anxiety disorders.