“This study was designed to examine the role of cannabinoid CB2r in social and aggressive behavior…
Our results suggest that CB2r is implicated in social interaction and aggressive behavior and deserves further consideration as a potential new target for the management of aggression.”
“As a therapeutic agent, most people are familiar with the palliative effects of the primary psychoactive constituent of Cannabis sativa (CS), Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), a molecule active at both the cannabinoid 1 (CB1) and cannabinoid 2 (CB2) receptor subtypes.
Through the activation primarily of CB1 receptors in the central nervous system, THC can reduce nausea, emesis and pain in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.
During the last decade, however, several studies have now shown that CB1 and CB2 receptor agonists can act as direct antitumor agents in a variety of aggressive cancers.
In addition to THC, there are many other cannabinoids found in CS, and a majority produces little to no psychoactivity due to the inability to activate cannabinoid receptors.
For example, the second most abundant cannabinoid in CS is the non-psychoactive cannabidiol (CBD). Using animal models, CBD has been shown to inhibit the progression of many types of cancer including glioblastoma (GBM), breast, lung, prostate and colon cancer.
This review will center on mechanisms by which CBD, and other plant-derived cannabinoids inefficient at activating cannabinoid receptors, inhibit tumor cell viability, invasion, metastasis, angiogenesis, and the stem-like potential of cancer cells.
We will also discuss the ability of non-psychoactive cannabinoids to induce autophagy and apoptotic-mediated cancer cell death, and enhance the activity of first-line agents commonly used in cancer treatment.”
“Cannabidiol (CBD) is a natural nonpsychotropic cannabinoid from marijuana (Cannabis sativa) with anti-epileptic and anti-inflammatory properties.
Effect of CBD on naive immune system is not precisely understood. In this study, we observed that administering CBD into naive mice triggers robust induction of CD11b+Gr-1+ myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC) in the peritoneum, which expressed functional arginase 1, and potently suppressed T cell proliferation ex vivo…
Together, the results suggest that CBD may induce activation of PPAR-γ in mast cells leading to secretion of G-CSF and consequent MDSC mobilization.
CBD being a major component of Cannabis, our study indicates that marijuana may modulate or dysregulate the immune system by mobilizing MDSC.”
“The opioid and non-opioid types of stress-induced analgesia have been well defined. One of the non-opioid type involve the endocannabinoid system.
We previously reported that the spinal serotonin 7 receptor (5-HT7) blockers inhibit both morphine and cannabinoid-induced analgesia, thus we hypothesized that descending serotonergic pathways-spinal 5-HT7 receptor loop might contribute to stress-induced analgesia…
These results indicate that descending serotonergic pathways and the spinal 5-HT7 receptor loop play a crucial role in mediating both opioid and non-opioid type stress-induced analgesia.”
“Anandamide (AEA) is an endocannabinoid (EC) that modulates multiple functions in the CNS and that is released in areas of injury, exerting putative neuroprotective actions.
In the present study, we have used intravital microscopy to analyze the role of the EC system in the glial response against an acute insult…
In summary, these findings demonstrate that AEA modifies glial functions by promoting an enhanced pro-inflammatory glial response in the brain.”
“The type 2 cannabinoid receptors (CB2R) have gained much attention recently due to their important regulatory role in a host of pathophysiological processes.
However, the exact biological function of CB2R and how this function might change depending on disease progression remains unclear and could be better studied with highly sensitive and selective imaging tools for identifying the receptors.
Here we report the first near infrared fluorescence imaging probe (NIR760-XLP6) that binds preferentially to CB2R over the type 1 cannabinoid receptors (CB1R).
These findings indicate that NIR760-XLP6 is a promising imaging tool for the study of CB2R regulation.”
“Ligands targeting G protein-coupled receptors (GPCR) expressed by microglia have been shown to regulate distinct components of their activation process, including cell proliferation, migration and differentiation into M1 or M2 phenotypes.
Cannabinoids, including the active component of the Cannabis plant, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), and the synthetic alkylindole (AI) compound, WIN55212-2 (WIN-2), activate two molecularly identified GPCRs: CB1 and CB2 .
Our results suggest that microglia express functional AI-sensitive receptors that control select components of their activation process.
Agonists of these novel targets might represent a novel class of therapeutics to influence the microglial cell activation process. ”
“Muscle wound healing process is a typical inflammation-evoked event. The monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL) inhibitor (4-nitrophenyl)4-[bis(1,3-benzodioxol -5-yl)-hydroxymethyl]piperidine-1-carboxylate (JZL184) has been previously reported to reduce inflammation in colitis and acute lung injury in mice, which provide a new strategy for primary care of skeletal muscle injury.
Our findings demonstrate that JZL184 is able to inhibit the inflammatory response and interfere with contused muscle healing, in which the anti-inflammatory action may be mediated through cannabinoid CB1 and CB2 receptors.”
“To date, our understanding of the relative contribution and potential overlapping roles of the endocannabinoids anandamide (AEA) and 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) in the regulation of brain function and behavior is still limited. To address this issue, we investigated the effects of systemic administration of JZL195, that simultaneously increases AEA and 2-AG signaling by inhibiting their hydrolysis, in the regulation of socio-emotional behavior in adolescent and adult rats.
These findings provide the first evidence for a role of 2-AG in social behavior, highlight the different contributions of AEA and 2-AG in the modulation of emotionality at different developmental ages and suggest that pharmacological inhibition of AEA and 2-AG hydrolysis is a useful approach to investigate the role of these endocannabinoids in neurobehavioral processes.”
“Plant of Cannabis sativa/ marihuana except for its psychotropic effects possesses a range of pharmacological properties, that has been utilized for medical purposes over a period of millenia.
Investigations concerning biochemical mechanism of action of the main and most active pharmacological compound of Cannabis sativa, cannabinoid 9-THC, contributed to the discovery of cannabinoid receptors both in the central nervous system (CNS) and peripheral tissues, that mediated actions of this substance.
The discovery made possible identification of a new, endogenous signaling system referred to as the endocannabinoid system.
Besides cannabinoid receptors CB1 and CB2, the system includes it’s endogenic ligands (endocannabinoids) and compounds that participate in their biosynthesis and inactivation. Structure and functioning of the endocannabinoid system is conservative in all vertebrates.
It’s activation with plant, synthetic and endogenous cannabinoids has an influence on multiple physiological and pathological processes within the eye.”