Category Archives: Endocannabinoid System

Placental expression of the endocannabinoid system in preeclampsia.

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Pregnancy Hypertension: An International Journal of Women's Cardiovascular Health

“In the present study, we aimed to analyze cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1), CB2 and fatty acid amid hydrolase (FAAH) expressions and localization in normal and preeclamptic placenta, in order to determine whether aberrant endocannabinoid activity is related to preeclampsia…

We observed markedly higher expression of CB1 protein in preeclamptic placental tissue. Increased CB1 expression might cause abnormal decidualization and impair trophoblast invasion, thus being involved in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia. As CB1 activation can induce endothelial dysfunction and enhance vascular inflammation, the strong CB1 immunoreaction in vascular endothelial and smooth muscle cells suggests that CB1 may contribute to the development of atherosis in the placental villi shown earlier in preeclampsia.

While the detailed pathogenesis of preeclampsia is still unclear, the endocannabinoid system could play a role in the development of the disease.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25787618

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2210778914003754

http://www.thctotalhealthcare.com/category/preeclampsia/

Attenuation of kainic acid-induced status epilepticus by inhibition of endocannabinoid transport and degradation in guinea pigs.

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“Status epilepticus (SE) is a medical emergency associated with a high rate of mortality if not treated promptly.

Exogenous and endogenous cannabinoids have been shown to possess anticonvulsant properties both in vivo and in vitro.

Here we study the influence of endocannabinoid metabolism on the development of kainic acid-induced SE in guinea pigs.

The present study provides electrophysiologic and behavioral evidences that inhibition of endocannabinoid metabolism plays a protective role against kainic acid-induced SE and may be employed for therapeutic purposes.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25769371

http://www.thctotalhealthcare.com/category/epilepsy-2/

Role of endogenous cannabinoid system in the gut.

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“The plant Cannabis has been used in clinic for centuries, and has been known to be beneficial in a variety of gastrointestinal diseases, such as emesis, diarrhea, inflammatory bowel disease and intestinal pain.

In this text, we’ll review the components of the endogenous cannabinoid system as well as its role in the regulation of gastrointestinal activities, thus providing relative information for further study.

Moreover, modulation of the endogenous cannabinoid system in gastrointestinal tract may provide a useful therapeutic target for gastrointestinal disorders.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23963077

http://www.thctotalhealthcare.com/category/gastrointestinal-disorders/

The cannabinoid receptor 2 is involved in acute rejection of cardiac allografts.

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“Acute rejection of cardiac allografts is a major risk factor limiting survival of heart transplant recipients. Rejection is triggered by dendritic cell (DC) mediated activation of host T cells, amongst others CD4+ T helper (TH)1- and TH17 cells.

The cannabinoid receptor 2 (CB2) is an important modulator of cellular immune responses…

These results demonstrate that CB2 modulates in vitro cytokine responses via DCs and directly via its influence on TH1/TH17 differentiation.

These findings and the fact that allograft rejection is enhanced in Cnr2-/- mice suggest that CB2 may be a promising therapeutic target in organ transplantation.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25744392

Identification of the CB1 cannabinoid receptor and fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) in the human placenta.

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“Synthetic cannabinoids, the psychoactive components of the Cannabis sativa (marijuana) and their endogenous counterparts, act through two G protein-coupled receptors, CB1 and CB2.

The endocannabinoids are metabolized by fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH).

We have examined CB1 receptor and FAAH expression in human term placenta by immunohistochemistry.

CB1 receptor was found to be present in all layers of the membrane, with particularly strong expression in the amniotic epithelium and reticular cells and cells of the maternal decidua layer. Moderate expression was observed in the chorionic cytotrophoblasts. The expression of FAAH was the highest in amniotic epithelial cells, chorionic cytotrophoblast and maternal decidua layer.

Our results suggest that the human placenta is a likely target for cannabinoid action and metabolism. ”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12744923

A common variation in the cannabinoid 1 receptor (CNR1) gene is associated with pre-eclampsia in the Central European population.

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“Recently it has been proposed that tightly regulated levels of endogenous cannabinoids play a fundamental role in early placental development.

The aim of this study was to investigate associations of three single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the cannabinoid 1 receptor (CNR1) gene (rs1049353, rs12720071 and rs806368) and their inferred haplotypes with pre-eclampsia, a severe pregnancy-associated condition characterized by abnormal development and remodeling of spiral decidual arteries…

This is the first study focusing on the relationship between SNPs in the CNR1 gene and pre-eclampsia risk.

Although limited by a relatively small sample size, the study indicates that rs806368 in the CNR1 gene may act as a susceptibility marker for pre-eclampsia in humans.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21129839

Differential expression of endocannabinoid system in normal and preeclamptic placentas: effects on nitric oxide synthesis.

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“Anandamide (AEA) is a lipid mediator that participates in the regulation of several reproductive functions.

This study investigated the endocannabinoid system in normal (NP) and preeclamptic (PE) placentas, and analyzed the potential functional role of AEA in the regulation of nitric oxide synthesis…

These data suggest that AEA may be one of the factors involved in the regulation of NOS activity in normal and preeclamptic placental villous.

Interestingly, the differential expression of NAPE-PLD and FAAH suggests that AEA could play an important role in the pathophysiology of PE.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23122699

Decreased circulating anandamide levels in preeclampsia.

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“The endocannabinoid system has a key role in female reproduction, including implantation, decidualization and placentation. A growing number of studies indicate that placental and peripheral blood anandamide levels correlate closely with both spontaneous miscarriage and ectopic pregnancy.

Anandamide has also been implicated in blood pressure regulation.

In this study, we aimed to determine circulating anandamide levels in preeclampsia for the first time in the literature…

In conclusion, we demonstrated for the first time in the literature that serum anandamide concentrations are decreased in women with preeclampsia.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25716652

Emerging targets and therapeutic approaches for the treatment of osteoarthritis pain.

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“Osteoarthritis is a complex and often painful disease that is inadequately controlled with current analgesics. This review discusses emerging targets and therapeutic approaches that may lead to the development of better analgesics…

Aberrant excitability in peripheral and central pain pathways drives osteoarthritis pain, reversing this via modulation of nerve growth factor, voltage-gated sodium channel, voltage-gated calcium channel and transient receptor potential vanilloid one activity, and increasing inhibitory mechanisms through modulation of cannabinoid and descending modulatory systems hold promise for osteoarthritis pain therapy.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25730180

http://www.thctotalhealthcare.com/category/osteoarthritis/

 

Peripheral cannabinoid receptor, CB2, regulates bone mass.

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“Here we show that CB2-deficient mice have a markedly accelerated age-related trabecular bone loss and cortical expansion, although cortical thickness remains unaltered.

These changes are reminiscent of human osteoporosis and may result from differential regulation of trabecular and cortical bone remodeling…

These results demonstrate that the endocannabinoid system is essential for the maintenance of normal bone mass by osteoblastic and osteoclastic CB2 signaling.

Hence, CB2 offers a molecular target for the diagnosis and treatment of osteoporosis, the most prevalent degenerative disease in developed countries.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1334629/

http://www.thctotalhealthcare.com/category/osteoporosis-2/