A 2026 laboratory study examined how cannabidiol (CBD), cannabigerol (CBG), and a combination of the two affected normal melanocytes and melanoma cells exposed to ultraviolet A (UVA) radiation. UVA exposure approximately doubled reactive oxygen species and disrupted the cells’ antioxidant defenses, while also increasing markers of oxidative damage and inflammatory signaling.

Treatment with CBD, CBG, or their combination modified several of these UVA-induced changes. In melanoma cells, the phytocannabinoids reduced reactive oxygen species by about 30%, while markers of oxidative damage fell by approximately 23–37%. The treatments also supported antioxidant systems and reduced activation of NF-κB, a signaling pathway associated with inflammation. The effects varied between normal melanocytes and melanoma cells, suggesting that phytocannabinoids may influence these cell types differently.

The researchers concluded that phytocannabinoid-related regulation of oxidative stress may help stabilize melanocytes following UVA exposure and deserves further investigation. However, this was a laboratory cell study, not a clinical trial, and it does not show that CBD or CBG can prevent or treat melanoma in people. Additional research is needed to understand these effects and their potential clinical significance.

Source: Biernacki M, Gieniusz E, Gęgotek A, Jaganjac M, Skrzydlewska E. Metabolic Responses of Melanocytes and Melanoma Cells to UVA Radiation and Phytocannabinoids Exposure. Antioxidants (Basel). 2026;15(6):690. DOI: 10.3390/antiox15060690. PMID: 42351996. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42351996/