“Cannabis or marijuana, a popular recreational drug, alters sensory perception and exerts a range of potential medicinal benefits. The present study demonstrates that the endogenous cannabinoid receptor agonists, 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) and anandamide (AEA) activate a canonical cannabinoid receptor in C. elegans and also modulate monoaminergic signaling at multiple levels. 2-AG or AEA inhibit nociception and feeding through a pathway requiring the cannabinoid-like receptor, NPR-19. 2-AG or AEA activate NPR-19 directly and cannabinoid-dependent inhibition can be rescued in npr-19 null animals by the expression of a human cannabinoid receptor, CB1, highlighting the orthology of the receptors. Cannabinoids also modulate nociception and locomotion through an NPR-19-independent pathway requiring an α2A-adrenergic-like octopamine receptor, OCTR-1, and a 5-HT1A-like receptor, SER-4, that involves a complex interaction among cannabinoid, octopaminergic and serotonergic signaling. 2-AG activates OCTR-1 directly. In contrast, 2-AG does not activate SER-4 directly, but appears to enhance SER-4-dependent serotonergic signaling by increasing endogenous 5-HT. This study defines a conserved cannabinoid signaling system in C. elegans, demonstrates the cannabinoid-dependent activation of monoaminergic signaling and highlights the advantages of studying cannabinoid signaling in a genetically-tractable whole animal model. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENTCannabis sativa causes euphoria and exerts a wide range of medicinal benefits. For years, cannabinoids have been studied at the cellular level using tissue explants with conflicting results. To better understand cannabinoid signaling, we have used the C. elegans model to examine the effects of cannabinoids on behavior. The present study demonstrates that mammalian cannabinoid receptor ligands activate a conserved cannabinoid signaling system in C. elegans and also modulate monoaminergic signaling, potentially impacting an array of disorders, including anxiety and depression. This study highlights the potential role of cannabinoids in modulating monoaminergic signaling, and the advantages of studying cannabinoid signaling in a genetically-tractable, whole-animal model.” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28188220]]>
Neuronal and Molecular Effects of Cannabidiol on the Mesolimbic Dopamine System: Implications for Novel Schizophrenia Treatments.
“Growing clinical and pre-clinical evidence points to a critical role for cannabidiol (CBD), the largest phytochemical component of cannabis, as a potential pharmacotherapy for various neuropsychiatric disorders. In contrast to delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is associated with acute and neurodevelopmental pro-psychotic side-effects, CBD possesses no known psychoactive or dependence-producing properties. However, evidence has demonstrated that CBD strongly modulates the mesolimbic dopamine (DA) system and may possess promising anti-psychotic properties. Despite the psychotropic differences between CBD and THC, little is known regarding their molecular and neuronal effects on the mesolimbic DA system, nor how these differential effects may relate to their potential pro vs. anti-psychotic properties. This review summarizes clinical and pre-clinical evidence demonstrating CBD’s modulatory effects on DA activity states within the mesolimbic pathway, functional interactions with the serotonin 5-HT1A receptor system, and their downstream molecular signaling effects. Together with clinical evidence showing that CBD may normalize affective and cognitive deficits associated with schizophrenia, CBD may represent a promising treatment for schizophrenia, acting through novel molecular and neuronal mesolimbic substrates.” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28185872]]>
Can Marijuana Cure Cancer? Pharmaceutical Company Developing Cannabis Medicine To Treat Brain Cancer
“Can Marijuana Cure Cancer? Pharmaceutical Company Developing Cannabis Medicine To Treat Brain Cancer” http://www.ibtimes.com/can-marijuana-cure-cancer-pharmaceutical-company-developing-cannabis-medicine-treat-2489282
“GW Pharmaceuticals Achieves Positive Results in Phase 2 Proof of Concept Study in Glioma” http://ir.gwpharm.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=1010672
“Cannabinoid Drug Prolongs the Life of Brain Tumor Patients in Phase II Trials” http://labiotech.eu/gw-pharmaceuticals-brain-tumor/
“Drug Company Claims to Have Marijuana Treatment That Could Increase Lifespan of Brain Cancer Patients” http://www.complex.com/life/2017/02/gw-pharmaceuticals-claims-to-have-treatment-that-could-increase-lifespan-of-brain-cancer-patients
“GW Pharma’s cannabis-derived combo med helps brain cancer patients” http://www.fiercebiotech.com/biotech/gw-pharma-s-cannabis-derived-combo-med-helps-brain-cancer-patients
“GW pharmaceuticals to develop oncology portfolio after cannabis medication shows promising results” http://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2017/02/07/gw-pharmaceuticals-develop-oncology-portfolio-cannabis-medication/
“GW Pharma is touting claims that a combination of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) produced positive survival benefits in a small study of 21 patients with recurrent glioblastoma multiforme, a common form of brain cancer.” https://endpts.com/gw-touts-positive-survival-benefit-in-small-brain-cancer-study-ablynx-files-for-ultra-rare-disease-drug-ok/
“GW Pharmaceuticals Is Set to Benefit as Cannabis Takes on Cancer” https://www.thestreet.com/story/13996559/1/gw-pharmaceuticals-is-set-to-benefit-as-cannabis-takes-on-cancer.html
“GW Pharmaceuticals Achieves Positive Results In Phase 2 Proof Of Concept Study In Glioma” https://www.clinicalleader.com/doc/gw-pharmaceuticals-phase-proof-of-concept-study-in-glioma-0001
“Here’s How Marijuana May Help Brain Cancer Patients Live Longer” http://www.menshealth.com/health/marijuana-drug-treats-brain-cancer?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sharebutton
“New pharmaceutical drug uses marijuana to treat brain cancer” http://blog.sfgate.com/smellthetruth/2017/02/09/new-pharmaceutical-drug-uses-marijuana-to-treat-brain-cancer/
“Medicine’s Secret Weapon Against Brain Cancer Is Weed” https://www.inverse.com/article/27578-cancer-treatment-marijuana-gw-pharmaceuticals?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=on_site&utm_campaign=desktop“The Next Big Brain Cancer Drug Could Come from Marijuana” http://fortune.com/2017/02/07/gw-pharmaceuticals-marijuana-brain-cancer/
“Can Weed Cure Cancer? Marijuana Helps Fight Glioblastoma Multiforme, One Of The Deadliest Forms Of Brain Cancer” http://www.medicaldaily.com/marijuana-just-might-help-cure-one-deadliest-forms-brain-cancer-410947 http://www.thctotalhealthcare.com/category/brain-cancer/Modulation of Human Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cell Signaling by Medicinal Cannabinoids.
“Medical marijuana is increasingly prescribed as an analgesic for a growing number of indications, amongst which terminal cancer and multiple sclerosis.
In this study we aimed to investigate the immune-cell modulatory properties of medical cannabis.
Healthy volunteers were asked to ingest medical cannabis, and kinome profiling was used to generate comprehensive descriptions of the cannabis challenge on inflammatory signal transduction in the peripheral blood of these volunteers.
Results were related to both short term and long term effects in patients experimentally treated with a medical marijuana preparation for suffering from abdominal pain as a result of chronic pancreatitis or other causes.
The results reveal an immunosuppressive effect of cannabinoid preparations via deactivation of signaling through the pro-inflammatory p38 MAP kinase and mTOR pathways and a concomitant deactivation of the pro-mitogenic ERK pathway. However, long term cannabis exposure in two patients resulted in reversal of this effect.
While these data provide a powerful mechanistic rationale for the clinical use of medical marijuana in inflammatory and oncological disease, caution may be advised with sustained use of such preparations.”
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28174520
http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fnmol.2017.00014/full
Cannabidiol: Swinging the Marijuana Pendulum From ‘Weed’ to Medication to Treat the Opioid Epidemic.
“Epidemics require a paradigm shift in thinking about all possible solutions. The rapidly changing sociopolitical marijuana landscape provides a foundation for the therapeutic development of medicinal cannabidiol to address the current opioid abuse crisis.”
Cannabidiol: Swinging the Marijuana Pendulum From 'Weed' to Medication to Treat the Opioid Epidemic.
“Epidemics require a paradigm shift in thinking about all possible solutions. The rapidly changing sociopolitical marijuana landscape provides a foundation for the therapeutic development of medicinal cannabidiol to address the current opioid abuse crisis.” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28162799]]>
Use of medical cannabis to reduce pain and improve quality of life in cancer patients.
“Early attention to pain and symptoms in those with cancer improves both quality of life and survival. Opioid medications are the mainstay treatment of cancer-related pain.
Cannabinoids are increasingly used as adjunctive treatments for cancer pain, but clinical evidence supporting their use as an “opioid sparing agent” or to improve quality of life is as yet unknown. Our study sought to determine if the addition of cannabinoids (medical cannabis) resulted in the reduction of the average opioid dose required for pain control, and improve self-reported quality of life indices.
“This work was conducted to prepare β-caryophyllene-hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin inclusion complex (HPβCD/BCP) and investigate its effects and mechanisms on cognitive deficits in vascular dementia (VD) rats.
Overall, the findings demonstrated the protective effects of HPβCD/BCP against cognitive deficits induced by chronic cerebral ischemia and suggested the potential of HPβCD/BCP in the therapy of vascular dementia in the future.”