Sex-dependent differences in the anxiolytic-like effect of cannabidiol in the elevated plus-maze

Cannabidiol (CBD), the major non-psychoactive constituent of cannabis, has therapeutic potential for the treatment of anxiety. Most preclinical studies investigate only acute effects of CBD and only in males, yet the drug is most likely to be used over a sustained period in clinical practice.

The objectives of this study were to investigate the anxiolytic-like effect of CBD in female rats compared to males and to determine whether the responsiveness of females was influenced by the stage of the estrous cycle.

We carried out experiments to compare the effect of CBD in male and female rats in the elevated plus maze (EPM) in response to acute and short-term (4 days) administration through a complete cycle in females.

Male and female rats behaved in a similar manner in the EPM, but females in the late diestrus (LD) phase exhibited more anxiety-like behavior than at other stages, the difference reaching statistical significance compared to proestrus stages. CBD produced anxiolytic-like effects in both sexes, but female rats were responsive only in LD and 10-fold lower dose than males. After sub-chronic (4 days) treatment, responsiveness to CBD was maintained in females in LD, but females in proestrus remained unresponsive to CBD treatment.

We suggest that there are sex differences in the anxiolytic-like effects of CBD in rats that reflect different underlying mechanisms: based on literature data, gonadal hormone status linked to GABA_A receptor expression in females, and 5-HT_1A receptor activation in males.