“This is an exciting time for cannabinoid research. The discovery of cannabinoid CB1receptors (expressed by central and peripheral neurones) and CB2 receptors (expressed mainly by immune cells) and endogenous agonists for these receptors has renewed the scientific community’s interest. Independently of these developments society at large has continued an aggressive debate about the therapeutic use of cannabinoids, including demands for their more liberal availability. Cannabinoids have been suggested to have therapeutic value as analgesics and in various conditions, including migraine headaches, nausea and vomiting, wasting syndrome and appetite stimulation in HIV-infected patients, muscle spasticity due to multiple sclerosis or spinal cord injury, movement disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy, and glaucoma.”
Tag Archives: Cannabinoids
Multitarget cannabinoids as novel strategy for Alzheimer disease.
“During the last years the development of approaches to multitarget drug design and discovery is gaining acceptance. The cannabinoids are potentially excellent multi-target drug candidates because of their interesting pharmacological profiles, among which stands out the dual capacity of cannabinoid ligands to act as cannabinoid agonist and cholinesterase inhibitors.”
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23369066
http://www.thctotalhealthcare.com/category/alzheimers-disease-ad/
Delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol/Cannabidiol (Sativex®): A Review of Its Use in Patients with Moderate to Severe Spasticity Due to Multiple Sclerosis.
“Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)/cannabidiol (CBD) [Sativex®] is an oromucosal spray formulation that contains principally THC and CBD at an approximately 1:1 fixed ratio, derived from cloned Cannabis sativa L. plants.
The main active substance, THC, acts as a partial agonist at human cannabinoid receptors (CB1 and CB2)…
THC/CBD is approved in a number of countries, including Germany and the UK, as an add-on treatment for symptom improvement in adult patients with moderate to severe spasticity due to multiple sclerosis who have not responded adequately to other anti-spasticity medication and who demonstrate clinically significant improvement in spasticity-related symptoms during an initial trial of therapy.
In the largest multinational clinical trial that evaluated the approved THC/CBD regimen in this population, 12 weeks’ double-blind treatment with THC/CBD significantly reduced spasticity severity (primary endpoint) compared with placebo in patients who achieved a clinically significant improvement in spasticity after 4 weeks’ single-blind THC/CBD treatment, as assessed by a patient-rated numerical rating scale.
A significantly greater proportion of THC/CBD than placebo recipients achieved a ≥30 % reduction (a clinically relevant reduction) in spasticity severity. The efficacy of THC/CBD has been also shown in at least one everyday clinical practice study (MOVE 2). THC/CBD was generally well tolerated in clinical trials. Dizziness and fatigue were reported most frequently during the first 4 weeks of treatment and resolved within a few days even with continued treatment.
Thus, add-on THC/CBD is a useful symptomatic treatment option for its approved indication.”
Characterization of major phytocannabinoids, cannabidiol and cannabinol, as isoform-selective and potent inhibitors of human CYP1 enzymes.
“Inhibitory effects of Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (Delta(9)-THC), cannabidiol (CBD), and cannabinol (CBN), the three major constituents in marijuana, on catalytic activities of human cytochrome P450 (CYP) 1 enzymes were investigated.
These results indicated that CBD and CBN showed CYP1 isoform-selective direct inhibition and that CBD was characterized as a potent mechanism-based inhibitor of human CYP1 enzymes, especially CYP1A1.”
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20117100
“CYP1A1 regulates breast cancer proliferation and survival. This study supports the notion that CYP1A1 promotes breast cancer proliferation and survival… reduction of CYP1A1 levels is a potential strategy for breast cancer therapeutics.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23576571
The Health Benefits of Medical Cannabis
“Few people may know this but cannabis, or marijuana, had been popular as a remedy since ancient times.
It was in 2727 B.C. when there was the first record of its use in China. It was also familiar to ancient Greeks, Romans and people from the Middle East.
It was only during 1600 when cannabis use began to be regulated and restricted…
It was only recently that the public knew that cannabis has many benefits which were previously unknown to many people. Cannabis has been legalized in some states because it is non-toxic, can be moderately used by adults and has some beneficial effects on health.
Medical Cannabis
Medical cannabis is the term used to refer to the use of marijuana, cultivated with medical seeds, and other cannabinoid substances for treating health problems. Marijuana is a mixture of green, brown, crumpled and dried leaves from the marijuana plant. This mixture of leaves are rolled up and smoked like a cigar or cigarette or smoked through a pipe. It can also be mixed with food and eaten. Its mode of administration to the user includes vaporizing or smoking dried buds, consuming extracts and the ingestion of capsules. Synthetic cannabinoids are even available in some countries such as dronabinol and nabilone. While in some countries the recreational use of marijuana is illegal, in some countries its medical use is legal.”
http://www.doctortipster.com/19879-the-health-benefits-of-medical-cannabis.html
Exercise, Manual Therapy, and the Endocannabinoid System: Why we’re all inherently potheads
“Have you ever heard of the digestive system? The lymphatic system? How about the muscular and nervous systems? Of course you have. Science has been studying them for years, making breakthroughs in our understanding of their inner workings that have lead to advancements benefited humanity in ways we now take for granted.
How about the endocannabinoid system? Have you heard of that? If your profession has nothing to do with the biological sciences, I would expect the answer to be no (save a few individuals). Don’t feel bad however, I have asked this question to many health and medical professionals that I have taught over the years and have received many a blank stare or look of confusion.
What if I were to tell you that this biological system permeates the entire human body with receptors located in skeletal muscle, the digestive tract, adipose (fat) tissue, and throughout the peripheral and central nervous systems (including the brain)? Again, you would question why this system is not studied, discussed, or even mentioned in most in physiology/health classes.
What if I were to tell you that the Endocannabinoid system (or ECS):
– Helps regulate the central control of energy balance
– Helps regulate metabolic processes (including storage)
– Plays a key role in the maintenance of bone mass
– Regulates intestinal motility
– Promotes/regulates sleep
– Is involved in neuromodulation and immunomodulation in the immune system
– Is involved in modulating insulin sensitivity
– Is involved in the regulation of pain signaling
– And much more”
“Exercise activates the endocannabinoid system.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14625449
“Exercise-induced endocannabinoid signaling is modulated by intensity.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22990628
“Effects of exercise stress on the endocannabinoid system in humans under field conditions.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22101870
Cannabinoids inhibit neurodegeneration in models of multiple sclerosis
“…exogenous CB1agonists can provide significant neuroprotection from the consequences of inflammatory CNS disease… Therefore, in addition to symptom management, cannabis may also slow the neurodegenerative processes that ultimately lead to chronic disability in multiple sclerosis and probably other diseases.
The results of this study are important because they suggest that in addition to symptom management, cannabinoids offer the potential to slow the progression of a disease that as yet has no satisfactory treatment.”
Summary of evidence-based guideline: Complementary and alternative medicine in multiple sclerosis: Report of the Guideline Development Subcommittee of the American Academy of Neurology.
“Clinicians might offer oral cannabis extract for spasticity symptoms and pain (excluding central neuropathic pain) (Level A). Clinicians might offer tetrahydrocannabinol for spasticity symptoms and pain (excluding central neuropathic pain) (Level B). Clinicians should counsel patients that these agents are probably ineffective for objective spasticity (short-term)/tremor (Level B) and possibly effective for spasticity and pain (long-term) (Level C). Clinicians might offer Sativex oromucosal cannabinoid spray (nabiximols) for spasticity symptoms, pain, and urinary frequency (Level B). Clinicians should counsel patients that these agents are probably ineffective for objective spasticity/urinary incontinence (Level B). Clinicians might choose not to offer these agents for tremor (Level C). Clinicians might counsel patients that magnetic therapy is probably effective for fatigue and probably ineffective for depression (Level B); fish oil is probably ineffective for relapses, disability, fatigue, MRI lesions, and quality of life (QOL) (Level B); ginkgo biloba is ineffective for cognition (Level A) and possibly effective for fatigue (Level C); reflexology is possibly effective for paresthesia (Level C); Cari Loder regimen is possibly ineffective for disability, symptoms, depression, and fatigue (Level C); and bee sting therapy is possibly ineffective for relapses, disability, fatigue, lesion burden/volume, and health-related QOL (Level C)…”
AAN calls oral cannabinoids effective for MS pain, spasticity
“An expert panel organized by the American Academy of Neurology called oral cannabis extract the only complementary and alternative medicine unequivocally effective for helping patients with multiple sclerosis, specifically easing their pain and symptoms of spasticity, medicine possibly for as long as 1 year of treatment.”
Study: Marijuana only alternative therapy showing promise for MS patients
“Researchers said medical marijuana seems to be the only “alternative therapy” showing promise for helping those with multiple sclerosis.
Officials at Oregon Health and Science University said research shows therapies like massage and acupuncture aren’t as effective as medical marijuana.”