“Cannabinoids and the endo-cannabinoid system play an important role in the sensation of pain. As conventional analgesics are often associated with serious side-effects, cannabinoids and agonists of their receptors offer a useful alternative or coanalgesic in the treatment of pain. The aim of this work is to summarize the role of cannabinoids and their receptors in nociception and pain treatment.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2991928/
Category Archives: Endocannabinoid System
Anti-aversive role of the endocannabinoid system in the periaqueductal gray stimulation model of panic attacks in rats.
“Direct activation of the cannabinoid CB1 receptor in the dorsolateral periaqueductal gray (dlPAG) inhibits anxiety- and panic-related behaviours in experimental animals. It has remained unclear, however, whether the local endocannabinoid signalling is recruited as a protective mechanism against aversive stimuli.
The present study tested the hypothesis that the endocannabinoid system counteracts aversive responses in the dlPAG-stimulation model of panic attacks…
The endocannabinoid system in the dlPAG attenuates the behavioural, cellular and cardiovascular consequences of aversive stimuli. This process may be considered for the development of additional treatments against panic and other anxiety-related disorders.”
Targeting the endocannabinoid system to treat haunting traumatic memories
“One of the core symptoms in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is the traumatic memory that constantly haunts the patient.
An increasing body of evidence points to the endocannabinoid (eCB) system as a key system in the regulation of emotionality and memory.
Hence, eCB enhancers may be the ideal pharmacological treatment for PTSD…
…eCBs have an essential role in maintaining emotional homeostasis and in modulating memory consolidation, retrieval and extinction.
Hence, the authors concluded that eCBs could be an ideal drug to treat PTSD by addressing both the emotional and cognitive aspects of the disorder.
Indeed, accumulating data from both clinical and pre-clinical studies suggest that targeting the eCB system may benefit PTSD.
Several studies support the self-medication hypothesis explanation for cannabis use to cope with PTSD symptoms.
To conclude, the eCB system may be a useful target for treating both the cognitive and emotional features of PTSD…”
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3776936/
http://www.thctotalhealthcare.com/category/post-traumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd/
Seizing an opportunity for the endocannabinoid system.
“Exogenous cannabinoids can limit seizures and neurodegeneration, and their actions are largely mimicked by endogenous cannabinoids (endocannabinoids).
Endocannabinoids are mobilized by epileptiform activity and in turn influence this activity by inhibiting synaptic transmission; both excitatory and some inhibitory synapses can be suppressed, leading to potentially complex outcomes.
Moreover, the endocannabinoid system is not a fixed entity, and its strength can be enhanced or reduced.
Endocannabinoids and their receptors are altered by epileptic seizures in ways that can reduce the efficacy of both exogenous and endogenous cannabinoids in sometimes unexpected ways.”
Endocannabinoids, Related Compounds and Their Metabolic Routes.
“Endocannabinoids are lipid mediators able to bind to and activate cannabinoid receptors, the primary molecular targets responsible for the pharmacological effects of the Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol.
These bioactive lipids belong mainly to two classes of compounds: N-acylethanolamines and acylesters, being N-arachidonoylethanolamine (AEA) and 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG), respectively, their main representatives.
During the last twenty years, an ever growing number of fatty acid derivatives (endocannabinoids and endocannabinoid-like compounds) have been discovered and their activities biological is the subject of intense investigations.
Here, the most recent advances, from a therapeutic point of view, on endocannabinoids, related compounds, and their metabolic routes will be reviewed.”
Evaluation of the tolerability and efficacy of Sativex in multiple sclerosis.
“Refractory spasticity, central neuropathic pain and bladder dysfunction are common clinical problems in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). None of the currently available oral medications has proven to be reliably effective and can be limited by toxicity.
Cannabinoids have shown therapeutic effects on those MS-associated symptoms.
Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)/cannabidiol (CBD) Sativex (nabiximols) is an oromucosal spray formulation that contains THC and CBD in an approximate 1:1 ratio and is described as an endocannabinoid system modulator.
The efficacy of THC/CBD on MS-associated spasticity, pain and bladder dysfunction has been studied in clinical trials as well as in clinical practice studies. Adverse effects are usually mild or moderate and the low rate of drug discontinuation provides good evidence of long-term tolerability. This article focuses on the pharmacological properties, clinical efficacy and tolerability of THC/CBD in MS patients.”
Cannabis, cannabidiol, and epilepsy – From receptors to clinical response.
“The use of cannabis for medicinal purposes is becoming more prevalent.
For this purpose, various preparations of cannabis of varying strengths and content are being used.
The recent changes in the legal environment have improved the availability of products with high cannabidiol (CBD) and low tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) concentrations.
There is some anecdotal evidence of their potential efficacy, but the mechanisms of such action are not entirely clear.
Some suspect an existence of synergy or “entourage effect” between CBD and THC.
There is strong evidence that THC acts via the cannabinoid receptor CB1.
The mechanism of action of CBD is less clear but is likely polypharmacological.
The scientific data support the role of the endocannabinoid system in seizure generation, maintenance, and control in animal models of epilepsy.
There are clear data for the negative effects of cannabis on the developing and mature brain though these effects appear to be relatively mild in most cases.
Further data from well-designed studies are needed regarding short- and long-term efficacy and side effects of CBD or high-CBD/low-THC products for the treatment of seizures and epilepsy in children and adults.”
Advances in the management of multiple sclerosis spasticity: multiple sclerosis spasticity nervous pathways.
“Involvement of the endocannabinoid system in pathophysiological mechanisms responsible for spasticity has been demonstrated in animal models of MS…
Evidence indicates that the antispasticity effects of THC:CBD oromucosal spray (Sativex®) are associated with enhanced cortical long-term potentiation.
CB1 receptors, which are associated with movement, postural control, and pain and sensory perception, influence glutamatergic pathways.
THC:CBD oromucosal spray was shown to reverse motor cortex plasticity from long-term depression through long-term potentiation of synaptic transmission, thereby restoring, at least in part, effective corticospinal inputs to spinal circuits.”
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25278116
http://www.thctotalhealthcare.com/category/multiple-sclerosis-ms/
Cannabinoids Alleviate Experimentally Induced Intestinal Inflammation by Acting at Central and Peripheral Receptors.
“… an attempt to further investigate the role of cannabinoid (CB) system in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel diseases…
CONCLUSIONS:
This is the first evidence that central and peripheral CB receptors are responsible for the protective and therapeutic action of cannabinoids in mouse models of colitis.
Our observations provide new insight to CB pharmacology and validate the use of novel ligands AM841 and CB13 as potent tools in CB-related research.”
Tapping into the endocannabinoid system to ameliorate acute inflammatory flares and associated pain in mouse knee joints.
“During the progression of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), there are frequent but intermittent flares in which the joint becomes acutely inflamed and painful.
Although a number of drug therapies are currently used to treat RA, their effectiveness is variable and side effects are common.
Endocannabinoids have the potential to ameliorate joint pain and inflammation, but these beneficial effects are limited by their rapid degradation.
One enzyme responsible for endocannabinoid break down is fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH). The present study examined whether URB597, a potent and selective FAAH inhibitor, could alter inflammation and pain in a mouse model of acute synovitis.
Conclusions: These results suggest that the endocannabinoid system of the joint can be harnessed to decrease acute inflammatory reactions and the concomitant pain associated with these episodes.”
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25260980
http://www.thctotalhealthcare.com/category/rheumatoid-arthritis-2/