“Brain endogenous cannabinoid (eCB) signaling seems to harmonize appropriate behavioral responses, which are essential for the organism’s long-term viability and homeostasis. Dysregulation of eCB signaling contributes to negative emotional states and increased stress responses. An understanding of the underlying neural cell populations and neural circuit regulation will enable the development of therapeutic strategies to mitigate behavioral maladaptation and provide insight into the influence of eCB on the neural circuits involved in anxiety and depression. This review focuses on recent evidence that has added a new layer of complexity to the idea of targeting the eCB system for therapeutic benefits in neuropsychiatric disease and on the future research direction of neural circuit modulation.” https://www.nature.com/articles/s41401-018-0051-5]]>
Category Archives: Endocannabinoid System
Development of a Cannabinoid-Based Photoaffinity Probe to Determine the Δ8/9-Tetrahydrocannabinol Protein Interaction Landscape in Neuroblastoma Cells.
“Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the principle psychoactive ingredient in Cannabis, is widely used for its therapeutic effects in a large variety of diseases, but it also has numerous neurological side effects. The cannabinoid receptors (CBRs) are responsible to a large extent for these, but not all biological responses are mediated via the CBRs.
Objectives: The identification of additional target proteins of THC to enable a better understanding of the (adverse) physiological effects of THC.
Methods: In this study, a chemical proteomics approach using a two-step photoaffinity probe is applied to identify potential proteins that may interact with THC.
Results: Photoaffinity probe 1, containing a diazirine as a photocrosslinker, and a terminal alkyne as a ligation handle, was synthesized in 14 steps. It demonstrated high affinity for both CBRs. Subsequently, two-step photoaffinity labeling in neuroblastoma cells led to identification of four potential novel protein targets of THC. The identification of these putative protein hits is a first step towards a better understanding of the protein interaction profile of THC, which could ultimately lead to the development of novel therapeutics based on THC.”
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29992186
https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/can.2018.0003
Role of endocannabinoids in the hippocampus and amygdala in emotional memory and plasticity.
“Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is characterized by the reexperiencing of a traumatic event and is associated with slower extinction of fear responses.
Impaired extinction of fearful associations to trauma-related cues may interfere with treatment response, and extinction deficits may be premorbid risk factors for the development of PTSD.
We examined the effects of exposure to a severe footshock followed by situational reminders (SRs) on extinction, plasticity, and endocannabinoid (eCB) content and activity in the hippocampal CA1 area and basolateral amygdala (BLA).
The findings suggest that targeting the eCB system before extinction may be beneficial in fear memory attenuation and these effects may involve metaplasticity in the CA1 and BLA.”
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29977073
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41386-018-0135-4
“Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is a severe and dose-limiting side effect of cancer treatment that affects millions of cancer survivors throughout the world and current treatment options are extremely limited by their side effects.
“Several studies demonstrated that 
“The pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is somewhat complex and has yet to be fully understood. As the effectiveness of the therapy currently available for AD has proved to be limited, the need for new drugs has become increasingly urgent.
The modulation of the endogenous 
“We hypothesized that the 
“The endocannabinoid (eCB) signaling system is one of the most extensive of the mammalian brain. Despite the involvement of only few specific ligands and receptors, the system encompasses a vast diversity of triggered mechanisms and driven effects. It mediates a wide range of phenomena, including the regulation of transmitter release, neural excitability, synaptic plasticity, impulse spread, long-term neuronal potentiation, neurogenesis, cell death, lineage segregation, cell migration, inflammation, oxidative stress, nociception and the sleep cycle. It is also known to be involved in the processes of learning and memory formation. This extensive scope of action is attained by combining numerous variables. In a properly functioning brain, the correlations of these variables are kept in a strictly controlled balance; however, this balance is disrupted in many pathological conditions. However, while this balance is known to be disrupted by drugs in the case of addicts, the stimuli and mechanisms influencing the neurodegenerating brain remain elusive. This review examines the multiple factors and phenomena affecting the eCB signaling system in the brain. It evaluates techniques of controlling the eCB system to identify the obstacles in their applications and highlights the crucial interdependent variables that may influence biomedical research outcomes.”
“The G protein-coupled receptors 3, 6, and 12 (GPR3, GPR6, and GPR12) comprise a family of closely related orphan receptors with no confirmed endogenous ligands. These receptors are constitutively active and capable of signaling through G protein-mediated and non-G protein-mediated mechanisms. These orphan receptors have previously been reported to play important roles in many normal physiological functions and to be involved in a variety of pathological conditions.
Although they are orphans, GPR3, GPR6, and GPR12 are phylogenetically most closely related to the