“Cannabinoids have been suggested to protect retinal ganglion cells in different models of toxicity…
These results suggest that endogenous and synthetic cannabinoids protect retinal amacrine neurons from AMPA excitotoxicity in vivo via a mechanism involving the CB1 receptors, and the PI3K/Akt and/or MEK/ERK1/2 signaling pathways.”
Disruption of the endocannabinoid system through pharmacological or genetic invalidation of cannabinoid CB1 receptors has been linked to depression in humans and depression-like behaviors in mice.
We generated and used knockout mice lacking DAGL-α (Dagla-/-) to assess the behavioral consequences of reduced endocannabinoid levels in the brain…
Our findings demonstrate that the deletion of Dagla adversely affects the emotional state of animals and results in enhanced anxiety, stress, and fear responses.”
“We have previously shown that agonists selective for the cannabinoid receptor 2 (CB2), including O-1966, inhibit the Mixed Lymphocyte Reaction (MLR), an in vitro correlate of organ graft rejection, predominantly through effects on T-cells. Current studies explored the mechanism of this immunosuppression by O-1966 using mouse spleen cells…
These data support the potential of CB2-selective agonists as useful therapeutic agents to prolong graft survival in transplant patients, and strengthens their potential as a new class of immunosuppressive agents with broader applicability.”
“Silencing the gene FMR1 in fragile X syndrome (FXS) with consequent loss of its protein product, FMRP, results in intellectual disability, hyperactivity, anxiety, seizure disorders, and autism-like behavior. In a mouse model (Fmr1 knockout (KO)) of FXS, a deficit in performance on the passive avoidance test of learning and memory is a robust phenotype.
We report that drugs acting on the endocannabinoid (eCB) system can improve performance on this test.
Our results indicate that the eCB system is involved in FXS and suggest that the eCB system is a promising target for treatment of FXS.”
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25979787
http://www.thctotalhealthcare.com/category/fragile-x-syndrome-fxs/
“Endocannabinoids and ceramides have demonstrated growth inhibition, cell death induction and pro-apoptotic activity in cancer research.
In the present study, we describe the profiles of two major endocannabinoids, ceramides, free fatty acids and relevant metabolic enzymes in 47 pairs of human colorectal cancer tissues and adjacent non-tumor tissues…
Elevation of AEA and alteration of ceramides (C16, C24, C18, C20) may qualify as potential endogenous biomarkers and novel drug targets for colorectal cancer.”
“Emerging evidence indicates the involvement of GPR55 and its proposed endogenous ligand, lysophosphatidylinositol (LPI), in nociception…
Thus, we provide the first pharmacological evidence that GPR55 activation at central levels is pronociceptive, suggesting that interfering with GPR55 signaling in the PAG may promote analgesia.”
“The G protein-coupled receptor GPR55 has been proposed as a new cannabinoid receptor associated with bone remodelling, nervous system excitability, vascular homeostasis as well as in several pathophysiological conditions including obesity and cancer.
Our data suggest that GPR55 could play deleterious role in ox-LDL-induced foam cells and could be a novel pharmacological target to manage atherosclerosis and other related cardiovascular diseases.”
“The endocannabinoid system is an important regulator of physiological functions. In the brain, this control is mainly exerted through the type-1-cannabinoid (CB1) receptors. CB1 receptors are abundant at neuron terminals where their stimulation inhibits neurotransmitter release. However, CB1receptors are also expressed in astrocytes and recent studies showed that astroglial cannabinoid signalling is a key element of the tripartite synapse. In this review we discuss the different mechanisms by which astroglial CB1 receptors control synaptic transmission and plasticity. The recent involvement of astroglial CB1 receptors in the effects of cannabinoids on memory highlights their key roles in cognitive processes and further indicates that astrocytes are central active elements of high order brain functions.”
“Microglia accumulation plays detrimental roles in the pathology of germinal matrix hemorrhage (GMH) in the immature preterm brain.
Here, we investigated the effects of a cannabinoid receptor 2 (CB2R) agonist on microglia proliferation and the possible involvement of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) family pathway in a collagenase-induced GMH rat model and in thrombin-induced rat microglia cells.
Overall, these findings suggest that activation of the endocannabinoid system might attenuate inflammation-induced secondary brain injury after GMH in rats by reducing microglia accumulation through a mechanism involving ERK dephosphorylation.
Enhancing CB2R activation is a potential treatment to slow down the course of GMH in preterm newborns.”
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25963415
http://www.thctotalhealthcare.com/category/brain-trauma/
“The ‘endocannabinoid system’ (ECS), comprising endogenous ligands (endocannabinoids) and their regulating enzymes, together with the cannabinoid receptors, has attracted a great deal of attention because it affects not only all facets of human reproduction, from gametogenesis through to parturition and beyond, but also targets key mechanisms affecting some hallmarks of cancer.
Recent evidence showing that cannabinoid receptors play a very important role in the development of malignancies outside of the reproductive organs suggests a similar role for the ECS in the establishment or continued development of gynaecological malignancy.
The paucity of studies in this area suggests that research using animal models is needed to evaluate endocannabinoid signalling in cancer networks. Future randomized clinical studies should reveal whether endocannabinoids or their derivatives prove to be useful therapeutic targets for gynaecological and other cancers.”