Category Archives: Uncategorized

What is Pinene and What Are the Benefits of this Cannabis Terpene?

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“Pinene (or α-pinene) is an aromatic compound commonly found in cannabis that smells a lot like – you guessed it – a forest of pine trees.” http://www.leafly.com/news/cannabis-101/what-is-pinene-and-what-are-the-benefits-of-this-cannabis-terpene

“Anti-inflammatory and chondroprotective activity of (+)-α-pinene: structural and enantiomeric selectivity. Previous studies have suggested that α-pinene, a common volatile plant metabolite, may have anti-inflammatory effects in human chondrocytes, thus exhibiting potential antiosteoarthritic activity… The data obtained show isomer- and enantiomer-selective anti-inflammatory and anticatabolic effects of α-pinene in human chondrocytes, (+)-α-pinene being the most promising for further studies to determine its potential value as an antiosteoarthritic drug.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24455984

“The therapeutic efficacy of α-pinene in an experimental mouse model of allergic rhinitis. In the present study, the therapeutic effect and underlying mechanism of α-pinene (α-PN) in the ovalbumin (OVA)-sensitized allergic rhinitis (AR) model were investigated… Taken together, we suggest that α-PN is a promising anti-allergic agent and may be useful in the clinical management of AR.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25242385

“Structural and Thermodynamic Basis of (+)-α-Pinene Binding to Human Cytochrome P450 2B6… (+)-α-Pinene is a monoterpene hydrocarbon that is widely distributed in the environment and a potent P450 2B inhibitor. “ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3754432/

“Inhibitory effects of α-pinene on hepatoma carcinoma cell proliferation… Taken together, these findings indicate that α-pinene may be useful as a potential anti-tumor drug.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24815485

“Synergistic Antitumor Effect of α-pinene and β-pinene with Paclitaxel against Non-small-cell Lung Carcinoma (NSCLC).” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25188609

“Biological activities of α-pinene and β-pinene enantiomers. The antimicrobial activities of the isomers and enantiomers of pinene were evaluated against bacterial and fungal cells.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23442885

“Microbial Synthesis of Pinene” http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/sb4001382

“Effect of alpha-pinene on nuclear translocation of NF-kappa B in THP-1 cells.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15066217

“Protective effects of alpha-pinene in mice with cerulein-induced acute pancreatitis. Acute pancreatitis (AP) is a complicated inflammatory disease that has an unknown underlying pathogenesis. Because alpha-pinene can modulate inflammation, we examined whether alpha-pinene plays a role in AP… These findings suggest that alpha-pinene has an anti-inflammatory effect during cerulein-induced AP.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22982349

Clearing the Smokescreen: The Current Evidence on Cannabis Use

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“The therapeutic potential of cannabis is one of the factors driving the push for legalization of cannabis use…

Decisions regarding the legal status of cannabis have long been framed (for the public at least) with reference to the perceived health risks and harms associated with use. Yet, drug policy and legislation relating to the use of cannabis are rarely based on the scientific evidence of the known risks and harms.

There are many reasons for this discrepancy, with the politicization of cannabis use, where ideology and moralizing are given precedence over the science, being one.

Thus, we begin this research topic with Aggarwal discussion of how such politicization has contributed to the current smokescreen that is obscuring our understanding of cannabis, including the impact it has on the ability of researchers to collect and disseminate accurate information about the effects of cannabis use.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4358058/

Increased Cerebral Cannabinoid-1 Receptor Availability Is a Stable Feature of Functional Dyspepsia: A [F]MK-9470 PET Study.

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“Functional dyspepsia (FD) is a prevalent functional gastrointestinal disorder (FGID) defined by chronic epigastric symptoms in the absence of organic abnormalities likely to explain them. Comorbidity with mood and anxiety disorders as well as with other FGIDs and functional somatic syndrome (FSS) is high. FD is characterized by abnormal regional cerebral activity in cognitive/affective pain modulatory circuits, but it is unknown which neurotransmitter systems are involved.

The authors aimed to assess and compare in vivo cerebral cannabinoid-1 (CB1) receptor availability between FD patients and age-, gender- and BMI-matched healthy controls (HC).

FD patients had significantly higher CB1 receptor availability in the cerebral regions involved in (visceral) nociception (brainstem, insula, anterior cingulate cortex) as well as in the homeostatic and hedonic regulation of food intake [hypothalamus, (ventral) striatum]….

Although these findings need replication in larger samples, they suggest that the abnormal brain activity in several of these regions, previously demonstrated in FD, may be due to a sustained endocannabinoid system dysfunction, identifying it as a potential novel target for treatment and warranting further studies to elucidate whether it is also a feature of other FGIDs or FSSs.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25833408

Minocycline Attenuates Neonatal Germinal-Matrix-Hemorrhage-Induced Neuroinflammation and Brain Edema by Activating Cannabinoid Receptor 2.

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“Germinal matrix hemorrhage (GMH) is the most common neurological disease of premature newborns leading to detrimental neurological sequelae.

Minocycline has been reported to play a key role in neurological inflammatory diseases by controlling some mechanisms that involve cannabinoid receptor 2 (CB2R). The current study investigated whether minocycline reduces neuroinflammation and protects the brain from injury in a rat model of collagenase-induced GMH by regulating CB2R activity…

Our study demonstrates, for the first time, that minocycline attenuates neuroinflammation and brain injury in a rat model of GMH, and activation of CBR2 was partially involved in these processes.”

Endocannabinoid signaling in innate and adaptive immunity.

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“The immune system can be modulated and regulated not only by foreign antigens but also by other humoral factors and metabolic products, which are able to affect several quantitative and qualitative aspects of immunity.

Among these, endocannabinoids are a group of bioactive lipids that might serve as secondary modulators, which when mobilized coincident with or shortly after first-line immune modulators, increase or decrease many immune functions.

Most immune cells express these bioactive lipids, together with their set of receptors and of enzymes regulating their synthesis and degradation.

In this review, a synopsis of the manifold immunomodulatory effects of endocannabinoids and their signaling in the different cell populations of innate and adaptive immunity is appointed, with a particular distinction between mice and human immune system compartments.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25585882

Endocannabinoid System

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Wiley

“The endocannabinoid system (ECS) is defined as the signalling system composed of: (1) the two G‐protein‐coupled receptors known as cannabinoid receptors of type‐1 and ‐2 (CB1 and CB2); (2) the two most studied endogenous agonists of such receptors, the endocannabinoids anandamide (N‐arachidonoyl‐ethanolamine) and 2‐AG (2‐arachidonoyl‐glycerol); (3) enzymes and other proteins regulating the tissue levels of endocannabinoids; and (4) enzymes and other proteins that, together with endocannabinoids, regulate the activity of cannabinoid receptors.

A key role of the ECS is emerging in the control not only of central and peripheral nervous system functions, but also of most aspects of mammalian physiology, including energy intake, processing and storage, the immune response, reproduction and cell fate.

The ECS is also subject to dysregulation, and this seems to contribute to the symptoms and progress of several diseases. Hence, the possibility of developing new therapies starting from our increasing knowledge of the ECS is discussed.”

http://www.els.net/WileyCDA/ElsArticle/refId-a0023403.html

http://www.thctotalhealthcare.com/category/endocannabinoid-system/

Interaction of cannabinoid receptor 2 and social environment modulates chronic alcohol consumption.

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“Genetic and environmental factors contribute nearly with equal power to the development of alcoholism. Environmental factors, like negative life events or emotionally disruptive conditions initiate and promote alcohol drinking and relapse.

The endocannabinoid system is involved in hedonic control and modulates stress reactivity. Furthermore, chronic alcohol drinking alters endocannabinoid signalling, which in turn influences the stress reactivity.

Recently it has been shown that CB2 receptor activity influences stress sensitivity and alcohol drinking. We hypothesised that CB2 receptors influence the impact of environmental risk factors on alcohol preference and consumption. Therefore, in this study we investigated the alcohol-drinking pattern of wild type and CB2 deficient animals under single and group housing conditions using different alcohol drinking models, like forced drinking, intermittent forced drinking and two-bottle choice paradigms.

Our data showed that CB2 receptor modulates alcohol consumption and reward.

Interestingly, we detected that lack of CB2 receptors led to increased alcohol drinking in the intermittent forced drinking paradigm under group housing conditions.

Furthermore, we found that CB2 knockout mice consumed more food and that their body weight gain was modulated by social environment.

On the base of these data, we conclude that social environment critically affects the modulatory function of CB2 receptors especially in alcohol intake.

These findings suggest that a treatment strategy targeting CB2 receptors may have a beneficial effect on pathologic drinking particularly in situations of social stress and discomfort.”

Propagation through alginate encapsulation of axillary buds of Cannabis sativa L. — an important medicinal plant

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“Cannabis sativa L. (Cannabaceae) is an important medicinal plant well known for its pharmacologic and therapeutic potency…

These plants are selected to be used in mass cultivation for the production of biomass as a starting material for the isolation of THC as a bulk active pharmaceutical.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3550375/

http://www.thctotalhealthcare.com/category/thc-delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol/

 

Differential expression of cannabinoid receptors in the human colon: cannabinoids promote epithelial wound healing.

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“An immunomodulatory role for the endocannabinoid system in gastrointestinal inflammatory disorders has been proposed and this study sought to determine the location of both cannabinoid receptors in human colon and to investigate epithelial receptor function.

The location of CB1 and CB2 receptors in human colonic tissue was determined by immunohistochemistry…

Cannabinoids enhanced epithelial wound closure…

CONCLUSIONS:

CB1 receptors are expressed in normal human colon and colonic epithelium is responsive biochemically and functionally to cannabinoids. Increased epithelial CB2-receptor expression in human inflammatory bowel disease tissue implies an immunomodulatory role that may impact on mucosal immunity.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16083701

Cannabinoid receptor type 2 is time-dependently expressed during skin wound healing in mice.

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“Dynamic localization of CB2R and quantitative analysis of CB2R mRNA during skin wound healing in mice were performed…

In conclusion, dynamic distribution and expression of CB2R suggest that CB2R is involved in modulating macrophages and myofibroblasts in response to inflammatory event and repair process in mouse skin wound healing, and CB2R is available as a marker for wound age determination.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22814434