Author Archives: David Worrell

Cannabinoid CB2 receptors protect against alcoholic liver disease by regulating Kupffer cell polarization in mice.

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“Activation of Kupffer cells plays a central role in the pathogenesis of alcoholic liver disease.

Because cannabinoid CB2 receptors (CB2) display potent anti-inflammatory properties, we investigated their role in the pathogenesis of alcoholic liver disease, focusing on the impact of CB2 on Kupffer cell polarization and the consequences on liver steatosis.

Altogether, these findings demonstrate that CB2 receptors display beneficial effects on alcohol-induced inflammation by regulating M1/M2 balance in Kupffer cells, thereby reducing hepatocyte steatosis via paracrine interactions between Kupffer cells and hepatocytes.

These data identify CB2 agonists as potential therapeutic agents for the management of alcoholic liver disease.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21735467

http://www.thctotalhealthcare.com/category/liver-disease/

Emerging role of cannabinoids in gastrointestinal and liver diseases: basic and clinical aspects.

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“A multitude of physiological effects and putative pathophysiological roles have been proposed for the endogenous cannabinoid system in the gastrointestinal tract, liver and pancreas.

These range from effects on epithelial growth and regeneration, immune function, motor function, appetite control, fibrogenesis and secretion.

Cannabinoids have the potential for therapeutic application in gut and liver diseases.

Two exciting therapeutic applications in the area of reversing hepatic fibrosis as well as antineoplastic effects may have a significant impact in these diseases.

This review critically appraises the experimental and clinical evidence supporting the clinical application of cannabinoid receptor-based drugs in gastrointestinal, liver and pancreatic diseases.

Application of modern pharmacological principles will most probably expand the selective modulation of the cannabinoid system peripherally in humans.

We anticipate that, in addition to the approval in several countries of the CB(1) antagonist, rimonabant, for the treatment of obesity and associated metabolic dysfunctions, other cannabinoid modulators are likely to have an impact on human disease in the future, including hepatic fibrosis and neoplasia.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18397936

http://www.thctotalhealthcare.com/category/liver-disease/

Cannabinoids and capsaicin improve liver function following thioacetamide-induced acute injury in mice.

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“We have shown the beneficial effects of cannabinoids in a murine model of hepatic encephalopathy following thioacetamide and now report their effects on the liver injury…

The similar pattern found between the effect of cannabinoids and their antagonists on brain and liver indicated that the therapeutic effect might be directed by the improvement in both organs through CB2 receptors and/or TRPV1 receptors.

Modulation of these systems may have therapeutic potential.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19086956

http://www.thctotalhealthcare.com/category/liver-disease/

Beneficial paracrine effects of cannabinoid receptor 2 on liver injury and regeneration.

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“Accumulating data indicate that the cannabinoid system is a crucial mediator in the pathogenesis of a variety of liver diseases.

In the present study we show that CB2 receptors reduce liver injury and accelerate liver regeneration via distinct pathways.

CB2 receptors reduce liver injury and promote liver regeneration following acute insult, via distinct paracrine mechanisms involving hepatic myofibroblasts.

These results suggest that CB2 agonists display potent hepatoprotective properties, in addition to their antifibrogenic effects.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3246453/
“Association of the cannabinoid receptor 2 (CB2) Gln63Arg polymorphism with indices of liver damage in obese children: an alternative way to highlight the CB2 hepatoprotective properties.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21608006

http://www.thctotalhealthcare.com/category/liver-disease/

Hyperactivation of anandamide synthesis and regulation of cell-cycle progression via cannabinoid type 1 (CB1) receptors in the regenerating liver.

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“The mammalian liver regenerates upon tissue loss, which induces quiescent hepatocytes to enter the cell cycle and undergo limited replication under the control of multiple hormones, growth factors, and cytokines.

Endocannabinoids acting via cannabinoid type 1 receptors (CB(1)R) promote neural progenitor cell proliferation, and in the liver they promote lipogenesis.

These findings suggest the involvement of CB(1)R in the control of liver regeneration…

We conclude that activation of hepatic CB(1)R by newly synthesized anandamide promotes liver regeneration by controlling the expression of cell-cycle regulators that drive M phase progression.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3076854/

http://www.thctotalhealthcare.com/category/liver-disease/

Regulation of nausea and vomiting by cannabinoids and the endocannabinoid system.

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“One of the oldest pharmacological remedies for nausea and vomiting is the plant cannabis…

Cannabis has long been known to limit or prevent nausea and vomiting from a variety of causes.

This has led to extensive investigations that have revealed an important role for cannabinoids and their receptors in the regulation of nausea and emesis.

With the discovery of the endocannabinoid system, novel ways to regulate both nausea and vomiting have been discovered that involve the production of endogenous cannabinoids acting centrally.

Here we review recent progress in understanding the regulation of nausea and vomiting by cannabinoids and the endocannabinoid system, and we discuss the potential to utilize the endocannabinoid system in the treatment of these frequently debilitating conditions…

Nausea and vomiting are frequently debilitating conditions that require substantial effort and cost to manage.

Advances in recent progress in understanding the regulation of nausea and vomiting by cannabinoids and the endocannabinoid system have revealed significant potential for therapeutic approaches to be developed.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3883513/

http://www.thctotalhealthcare.com/category/nauseavomiting/

Components of the endocannabinoid and dopamine systems are dysregulated in Huntington’s disease: analysis of publicly available microarray datasets.

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“The endocannabinoid system (ECS) and the dopaminergic system (DAS) are two major regulators of basal ganglia function. During Huntington’s disease (HD) pathogenesis, the expression of genes in both the ECS and DAS is dysregulated…

The resulting data confirm gene expression changes observed using different approaches and provide novel insights into the consistency between changes observed in human tissue and various models, as well as disease stage- and tissue-specific transcriptional dysregulation in HD.

The major implication of the systems-wide data presented here is that therapeutic strategies targeting the ECS or DAS must consider the dynamic changes in gene expression over time and in different body areas, which occur during HD progression and the interconnectedness of the two systems.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25692022

http://www.thctotalhealthcare.com/category/huntingtons/

Cannabinoids suppress acute and anticipatory nausea in pre-clinical rat models of conditioned gaping.

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“The sensation of nausea is one of the most debilitating human experiences. Current anti-emetic therapies are effective in reducing vomiting, but are less effective in reducing acute and delayed nausea and are completely ineffective in reducing anticipatory nausea.

Recent pre-clinical evidence using a selective rat model of nausea (conditioned gaping reactions) has revealed that cannabinoids have great promise as treatments for nausea and that their anti-nausea effects may be mediated by the interoceptive insular cortex.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25691302

http://www.thctotalhealthcare.com/category/nauseavomiting/

Anandamide Drives Cell Cycle Progression through CB1 Receptors in a Rat Model of Synchronized Liver Regeneration.

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“The endocannabinoid system, through cannabinoid receptor signaling by endocannabinoids, is involved in a wide range of functions and physiopathological conditions.

… liver regeneration, a useful in vivo model of synchronized cell proliferation, is characterized by a peak of anandamide that elicits through CB1 receptor the expression of critical mitosis genes. The aim of this study was to focus on the timing of endocannabinoid signaling changes during the different phases of the cell cycle, exploiting the rat liver regeneration model following partial hepatectomy…

These results support the notion that the signaling mediated by anandamide through CB1 receptor may be important for the entry and progression of cells into the cell cycle and hence for their proliferation under mitogenic signals.”

 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25684344

http://www.thctotalhealthcare.com/category/liver-disease/

Activation of Cannabinoid Receptor 2 Enhances Osteogenic Differentiation of Bone Marrow Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells.

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“Bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) are considered as the most promising cells source for bone engineering.

Cannabinoid(CB) receptors play important roles in bone mass turnover.

The aim of this study is to test if activation of CB2 receptor by chemical agonist could enhance the osteogenic differentiation and mineralization in bone BM-MSCs…

Taken together, data from this study suggested that activation of CB2 receptor plays important role in osteogenic differentiation of BM-MSCs.

Lack of CB2 receptor may be related to osteoporosis.

These results demonstrate that the activation of CB2 signaling is essential for the maintenance of normal bone mass.

Manipulating CB2 signaling may offer a molecular tool for the increasing osteogenic differentiation of stem cells.”

http://www.hindawi.com/journals/bmri/2015/874982/

http://www.thctotalhealthcare.com/category/osteoporosis-2/