Caraway seeds inspire new seizure-fighting medicines

A UNLV-led team of researchers has co-opted a common kitchen spice to create a new class of cannabidiol (CBD)-like medicines that show powerful seizure-reducing effects - offering a safer, more affordable, and more effective treatment for childhood seizure disorders than existing frontline therapies.

Caraway seeds - a seasoning commonly used in both savory and sweet dishes, and also known as meridian fennel - are the key ingredient behind researchers' method.

By altering the shape of the seeds' main chemical component, the scientists were able to enhance the most favorable therapeutic properties of CBD and create a library of CBD-like medicines that are free of THC (the psychoactive compound in cannabis). Preclinical trials showed that the caraway-derived therapies packed a greater punch in stopping seizures - and did so without the adverse brain effects known to occur with long-term use of benzodiazepines, the class of anticonvulsant drugs most popularly prescribed for treating developmental epilepsy syndromes. 

The breakthrough findings, driven largely by UNLV psychology undergraduate students in collaboration with university faculty as well as colleagues at New Mexico State University, were published Sept. 24 in the Nature journal Neuropsychopharmacology.

"These fully synthetic compounds, made from a safe plant extract and free of THC, not only prevented seizures and reduced seizure-related deaths but also promoted healthier brain cell development - without the sedative side effects of current treatments," said Dustin Hines, study co-author and professor of neuroscience at UNLV. "Childhood seizure disorders are often resistant to available drugs, and both the seizures and the current frontline therapies can severely affect brain development, cognition, and quality of life, making the discovery especially promising."

The investigation is among the first to explore the tolerability and efficacy of carvone-derived compounds, which are naturally found in the essential oils of various plants including caraway, dill, and spearmint. And the publication of the team's carvone-based therapeutic library marks a critical step for researchers aiming to advance CBD-inspired treatments - particularly those that sidestep the regulatory bottlenecks and limited accessibility that continue to constrain cannabis-derived medications.

CBD - one of the over 500 chemical compounds the cannabis plant contains - has steadily gained mainstream acceptance over the years for its non-intoxicating pharmacologic profile and demonstrated effectiveness in treating anxiety, multiple sclerosis, certain forms of epilepsy, and other neurological and inflammatory conditions. Currently, Epidiolex is the only FDA-approved CBD medication for treating seizures in patients as young as a year old. But it's prescribed only to those with certain severe forms of epilepsy, and it carries greater manufacturing, insurance regulation, and pharmacy distribution burdens than typical prescriptions because it's derived from cannabis.

While the CBD-like caraway molecules show very strong preclinical efficacy, the UNLV scientists say their groundwork is only the beginning. Continued research will be critical to advancing these findings toward future human trials and, ultimately, regulatory approval.

In the meantime, snacking away at caraway in hopes of absorbing the seizure-busting benefits won't help: "Caraway seeds don't contain CBD. They just contain the scaffold to create it," said study co-author Adriana Carrillo, a UNLV senior double majoring in neuroscience and public health.

Carrillo, along with her fellow student peers and faculty researchers at UNLV and NMSU, remain hard at work in the lab and are excited about the possibilities.

"Advancing this new class of therapeutics holds significant promise for patients who have exhausted existing treatment options, whether due to debilitating side effects or a lack of response to currently available therapies," said Carrillo, an aspiring physician-scientist. "It is encouraging to help build the foundation for future treatment options that could one day offer families safer and more effective choices."