“Cannabis extracts and several cannabinoids have been shown to exert broad anti-inflammatory activities in experimental models of inflammatory CNS degenerative diseases. Clinical use of many cannabinoids is limited by their psychotropic effects. However, phytocannabinoids like cannabidiol (CBD), devoid of psychoactive activity, are, potentially, safe and effective alternatives for alleviating neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration.
Tag Archives: Cannabinoids
The current state and future perspectives of cannabinoids in cancer biology.
“To date, cannabinoids have been allowed in the palliative medicine due to their analgesic and antiemetic effects, but increasing number of preclinical studies indicates their anticancer properties. Cannabinoids exhibit their action by a modulation of the signaling pathways crucial in the control of cell proliferation and survival. Many in vitro and in vivo experiments have shown that cannabinoids inhibit proliferation of cancer cells, stimulate autophagy and apoptosis, and have also a potential to inhibit angiogenesis and metastasis. In this review, we present an actual state of knowledge regarding molecular mechanisms of cannabinoids’ anticancer action, but we discuss also aspects that are still not fully understood such as the role of the endocannabinoid system in a carcinogenesis, the impact of cannabinoids on the immune system in the context of cancer development, or the cases of a stimulation of cancer cells’ proliferation by cannabinoids. The review includes also a summary of currently ongoing clinical trials evaluating the safety and efficacy of cannabinoids as anticancer agents.”
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29473338
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/cam4.1312/abstract
Exogenous Cannabinoid Efficacy: Merely a Pharmacokinetic Interaction?
“Endocannabinoid pharmacology is now relatively well understood with a number of endocannabinoids and endogenous cannabinoid neurotransmitters identified and the pharmacokinetics relatively well ascertained. Further, the cannabinoid receptors are now molecularly and pharmacologically characterised and the cell processes involved in endocannabinoid transcription, synthesis, post-translational modification and protein expression are reported. Endogenous cannabinoids have been shown to have key roles in immune and pain pathways and neuro-behavioural signalling including appetite regulation. Significant recent interest has thus been shown in understanding these pathways to guide the development of agents that inhibit the natural catabolism of endogenous cannabinoids to modify pain and appetite, and to synthesise antagonists for the treatment of disease such as obesity. This research is concurrent with the renewed clinical interest in exogenous cannabinoids and their use in disease. However, the complex pharmacology and physiological effects of exogenous cannabinoids, either as individual components or in combination, as extracts or via administration of the whole plant in humans, are less well known. Yet as with all other therapeutics, including those derived from plants, knowledge of the pharmacokinetics and dynamics of the complete plant, the individual chemical molecules and their synthetic versions, including formulations and excipients is a standard part of drug development. This article covers the key pharmacological knowledge required to guide further exploration of the toxicity and efficacy of different cannabinoids and their formulations in blinded placebo-controlled studies.” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28921125 https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs40262-017-0599-0]]>
Cannabidiol Regulates Long Term Potentiation Following Status Epilepticus: Mediation by Calcium Stores and Serotonin.
“Epilepsy is a devastating disease, with cognitive and emotional consequences that are not curable.
In recent years, it became apparent that cannabinoids help patients to cope with epilepsy.
We have studied the effects of cannabidiol (CBD) on the ability to produce long term potentiation (LTP) in stratum radiatum of CA1 region of the mouse hippocampus.
Exposure to seizure-producing pilocarpine reduced the ability to generate LTP in the slice.
Pre-exposure to CBD prevented this effect of pilocarpine.
Furthermore, CBD caused a marked increase in ability to generate LTP, an effect that was blocked by calcium store antagonists as well as by a reduction in serotonin tone. Serotonin, possibly acting at a 5HT1A receptor, or fenfluramine (FFA), which causes release of serotonin from its native terminals, mimicked the effect of CBD.
It is proposed that CBD enhances non-NMDA LTP in the slice by facilitating release of serotonin from terminals, consequently ameliorating the detrimental effects of pilocarpine.”
“Endocannabinoid system plays an important role in pathophysiologic processes such as immune functions and impacts on disease severity.
Our previous study showed that 
“Emerging evidence suggest an impaired endocannabinoid activity in the pathophysiology of binge eating disorder (BED). Herein, we investigated whether endocannabinoid tone could be modified as a consequence of dietary-induced binge eating in female rats.
For this purpose, brain levels of the endocannabinoids anandamide (AEA) and 2-arachidonoyl glycerol (2-AG), as well as two endocannabinoid-like lipids, oleoylethanolamide (OEA) and palmitoylethanolamide (PEA), were assessed in different brain areas involved in the hedonic feeding (i.e., prefrontal cortex, nucleus accumbens, amygdala, hippocampus, and hypothalamus).
The brain density of 
“Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating condition highly comorbid with depression. The endocannabinoid (eCB) system and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) are suggestively involved in both disorders.
We examined whether