The cannabinergic system as a target for anti-inflammatory therapies.
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Category Archives: Autoimmune Disease
Targeting the endocannabinoid system with cannabinoid receptor agonists: pharmacological strategies and therapeutic possibilities.
“Human tissues express cannabinoid CB(1) and CB(2) receptors that can be activated by endogenously released ‘endocannabinoids’ or exogenously administered compounds in a manner that reduces the symptoms or opposes the underlying causes of several disorders in need of effective therapy. Three medicines that activate cannabinoid CB(1)/CB(2) receptors are now in the clinic: Cesamet (nabilone), Marinol (dronabinol; Δ(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ(9)-THC)) and Sativex (Δ(9)-THC with cannabidiol). These can be prescribed for the amelioration of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (Cesamet and Marinol), stimulation of appetite (Marinol) and symptomatic relief of cancer pain and/or management of neuropathic pain and spasticity in adults with multiple sclerosis (Sativex). This review mentions several possible additional therapeutic targets for cannabinoid receptor agonists. These include other kinds of pain, epilepsy, anxiety, depression, Parkinson’s and Huntington’s diseases, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, stroke, cancer, drug dependence, glaucoma, autoimmune uveitis, osteoporosis, sepsis, and hepatic, renal, intestinal and cardiovascular disorders. It also describes potential strategies for improving the efficacy and/or benefit-to-risk ratio of these agonists in the clinic. These are strategies that involve (i) targeting cannabinoid receptors located outside the blood-brain barrier, (ii) targeting cannabinoid receptors expressed by a particular tissue, (iii) targeting upregulated cannabinoid receptors, (iv) selectively targeting cannabinoid CB(2) receptors, and/or (v) adjunctive ‘multi-targeting’.” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23108552
“Targeting the endocannabinoid system with cannabinoid receptor agonists: pharmacological strategies and therapeutic possibilities” http://rstb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/367/1607/3353.long
Non-psychotropic plant cannabinoids: new therapeutic opportunities from an ancient herb.
“Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol binds cannabinoid (CB(1) and CB(2)) receptors, which are activated by endogenous compounds (endocannabinoids) and are involved in a wide range of physiopathological processes (e.g. modulation of neurotransmitter release, regulation of pain perception, and of cardiovascular, gastrointestinal and liver functions).
The well-known psychotropic effects of Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol, which are mediated by activation of brain CB(1) receptors, have greatly limited its clinical use. However, the plant Cannabis contains many cannabinoids with weak or no psychoactivity that, therapeutically, might be more promising than Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol.
Here, we provide an overview of the recent pharmacological advances, novel mechanisms of action, and potential therapeutic applications of such non-psychotropic plant-derived cannabinoids. Special emphasis is given to cannabidiol,
the possible applications of which have recently emerged in inflammation, diabetes, cancer, affective and neurodegenerative diseases, and to Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabivarin, a novel CB(1) antagonist which exerts potentially useful actions in the treatment of epilepsy and obesity.”
The therapeutic potential of novel cannabinoid receptors.
“Cannabinoids produce a plethora of biological effects, including the modulation of neuronal activity through the activation of CB(1) receptors and of immune responses through the activation of CB(2) receptors. The selective targeting of either of these two receptor subtypes has clear therapeutic value. Recent evidence indicates that some of the cannabinomimetic effects previously thought to be produced through CB(1) and/or CB(2) receptors, be they on neuronal activity, on the vasculature tone or immune responses, still persist despite the pharmacological blockade or genetic ablation of CB(1) and/or CB(2) receptors. This suggests that additional cannabinoid and cannabinoid-like receptors exist. Here we will review this evidence in the context of their therapeutic value and discuss their true belonging to the endocannabinoid signaling system.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19248809
“The therapeutic potential of novel cannabinoid receptors” http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0163725809000266
The role of cannabinoid system on immune modulation: therapeutic implications on CNS inflammation.
Abstract
“There is a growing amount of evidence suggesting that cannabinoids may be neuroprotective in CNS inflammatory conditions. Advances in the understanding of the physiology and pharmacology of the cannabinoid system have increased the interest of cannabinoids as potential therapeutic targets. Cannabinoid receptors and their endogenous ligands, the endocannabinoids, have been detected in cells of the immune system, as well as in brain glial cells. In the present review it is summarized the effects of cannabinoids on immune reactivity and on the regulation of neuroinflammatory processes associated with brain disorders with special attention to chronic inflammatory demyelinating diseases such as multiple sclerosis.”
The cannabinoid system and immune modulation
“Studies on the effects of marijuana smoking have evolved into the discovery and description of the endocannabinoid system. To date, this system is composed of two receptors, CB1 and CB2, and endogenous ligands including anandamide, 2-arachidonoyl glycerol, and others. CB1 receptors and ligands are found in the brain as well as immune and other peripheral tissues. Conversely, CB2 receptors and ligands are found primarily in the periphery, especially in immune cells. Cannabinoid receptors are G protein-coupled receptors, and they have been linked to signaling pathways and gene activities in common with this receptor family. In addition, cannabinoids have been shown to modulate a variety of immune cell functions in humans and animals and more recently, have been shown to modulate T helper cell development, chemotaxis, and tumor development. Many of these drug effects occur through cannabinoid receptor signaling mechanisms and the modulation of cytokines and other gene products.
It appears the immunocannabinoid system is involved in regulating the brain-immune axis and might be exploited in future therapies for chronic diseases and immune deficiency.”
“The medicinal uses of marijuana were described centuries ago for diseases such as asthma, migraine, pain, convulsions, and anxiety (reviewed in ref.). More recently, emphasis has been placed on marijuana’s putative, beneficial effects on appetite, glaucoma, spasticity in multiple sclerosis, pain, and inflammation.
Recent experimental evidence supports marijuana’s therapeutic potential in some of these maladies.
The active plant ingredients in marijuana belong to the C21-cannabinoid compounds including the primary psychoactive compound, Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). This cannabinoid along with others such as Δ8-THC, cannabidiol, and cannabinol, as well as chemical analogs, have been extensively studied over the years for their biological and therapeutic properties. Some of the properties of these agents have included effects on immunity ranging from suppression of resistance to infection to enhancement of IL-1 production by macrophages. These early studies about the immunomodulating effects of these drugs have been the subject of previous overviews and will not be reviewed here. Instead, we will briefly summarize the general features of the cannabinoid system and review recent findings on the structure and function of the cannabinoid system components in the immune system. For convenience, we will refer to this as the “immunocannabinoid” system.
CANNABINOID SYSTEM
Marijuana cannabinoids, analogs, and endocannabinoids”
https://jlb.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1189/jlb.0303101?sid=nlm%3Apubmed
Cannabinoids and the immune system.
“The effect of cannabimimetic agents on the function of immune cells such as T and B lymphocytes, natural killer cells and macrophages has been extensively studied over the past several decades using human and animal paradigms involving whole animal models as well as tissue culture systems.
From this work, it can be concluded that these drugs have subtle yet complex effects on immune cell function and that some of the drug activity is mediated by cannabinoid receptors expressed on the various immune cell subtypes.
However, the overall role of the cannabinoid system of receptors and ligands in human health and disease is still unclear and requires extensive elucidation.
Further studies will define the precise structure and function of the putative immunocannabinoid system, the potential therapeutic usefulness of these drugs in chronic diseases such as acquired immune deficiency syndrome and multiple sclerosis, the effects of these agents on tumour growth and induction of apoptosis, and the potential anti-inflammatory and proinflammatory properties of cannabimimetic compounds.
It is likely that the cannabinoid system, along with other neuroimmune systems, has a subtle but significant role in the regulation of immunity and that this role can eventually be exploited in the management of human disease.”
Cannabinoids and the immune system: an overview.
“Cannabinoids can influence the immune network. Data on the impact of exogenous cannabinoid ligands on immune function serve not only to understand how the endocannabinoid system modulates immune phenomena associated with infection or inflammation, but also to identify therapeutic targets for immune diseases.
Cannabinoids can modulate immune reactions in the periphery but also in the brain, influence T cell subset balance and cytokine expression and play a role in the balance between neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration. Immune cells can synthesize endocannabinoids and also be influenced by cannabinoid analogues.
Cannabinoid receptors show different expression on immune cells depending on activation status and stimuli. The complexity of relation between cannabinoid ligands of various classes and cannabinoid receptors brought the need to refine the simple conceptual frame of agonist-antagonists and offered potential implications for understanding interactions in pathological conditions.
The immune influence of cannabinoid ligands is not fully elucidated. However, aspects of their immunomodulatory effects provide the basis for a context-dependent targeted therapeutic approach, thus leading to the possibility for the use of cannabinoids in the treatment of inflammatory disease.”
The Cannabinergic System as a Target for Anti-inflammatory Therapies
“Cell-based experiments or in vivo animal testing suggest that regulation of the endocannabinoid circuitry can impact almost every major function associated with the immune system. These studies were assisted by the development of numerous novel molecules that exert their biological effects through the endocannabinoid system. Several of these compounds were tested for their effects on immune function, and the results suggest therapeutic opportunities for a variety of inflammatory diseases such as multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, atherosclerosis, allergic asthma, and autoimmune diabetes through modulation of the endocannabinoid system.”
http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/ben/ctmc/2006/00000006/00000013/art00008