Cannabinoids to treat spinal cord injury.

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“Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) is a devastating condition for which there is no standard treatment beyond rehabilitation strategies. In this review, we discuss the current knowledge on the use of cannabinoids to treat this condition.

The endocannabinoid system is expressed in the intact spinal cord, and it is dramatically upregulated after lesion. Endogenous activation of this system counteracts secondary damage following SCI, and treatments with endocannabinoids or synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists promote a better functional outcome in experimental models.

The use of cannabinoids in SCI is a new research field and many questions remain open. Here, we discuss caveats and suggest some future directions that may help to understand the role of cannabinoids in SCI and how to take advantage of this system to regain functions after spinal cord damage.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25805333

http://www.thctotalhealthcare.com/category/spinal-cord-injury/

Further human evidence for striatal dopamine release induced by administration of ∆9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC): selectivity to limbic striatum.

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“In the largest data set of healthy participants so far, we provide evidence for a modest increase in human striatal dopamine transmission after administration of THC compared to other drugs of abuse.

This finding suggests limited involvement of the endocannabinoid system in regulating human striatal dopamine release and thereby challenges the hypothesis that an increase in striatal dopamine levels after cannabis use is the primary biological mechanism underlying the associated higher risk of schizophrenia.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25801289

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

Association of single nucleotide polymorphisms in catechol-O-methyltransferase and serine-threonine protein kinase genes in the Pakistani schizophrenic population: a study with special emphasis on cannabis and smokeless tobacco.

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“Schizophrenia is a neuropsychiatric disorder in which abnormalities in the prefrontal cortex lead to impaired synthesis of dopamine. It is associated with hallucination, psychosis and hearing impairments. Many susceptible genes have been identified in schizophrenia such as catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) and serine/threonine kinase (AKT1).

Moreover, a study based on a single family showed COMT Met allele inheritance in schizophrenic offspring. This suggested that COMT allele alteration influences susceptibility to at least some forms of psychosis…

Interestingly, according to our socio-economic survey, COMT genotype has no association with cannabis but it is strongly associated with tobacco.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25801838

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

 

The Medicinal Chemistry of Cannabinoids.

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“The endocannabinoid system (ECS) comprises the two well characterized Gi/o -protein coupled receptors (CB1, CB2), their endogenous lipid ligands and the enzymes involved in their biosynthesis and biotransformation.

Drug discovery efforts relating to the ECS have been focused mainly on the two cannabinoid receptors and the two endocannabinoid deactivating enzymes fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) and monoacylglycerol lipase (MGL).

This review provides an overview of cannabinergic agents used in drug research and those being explored clinically.”

 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25801236

Cannabidiol, a Major Non-Psychotrophic Cannabis Constituent Enhances Fracture Healing and Stimulates Lysyl Hydroxylase Activity in Osteoblasts.

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“Cannabinoid ligands regulate bone mass, but skeletal effects of cannabis (marijuana and hashish) have not been reported. Bone fractures are highly prevalent, involving prolonged immobilization and discomfort.

Here we report that the major non-psychoactive cannabis constituent, cannabidiol (CBD), enhances the biomechanical properties of healing rat mid-femoral fractures.

Using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy we confirmed the increase in collagen crosslink ratio by CBD, which is likely to contribute to the improved biomechanical properties of the fracture callus.

Taken together, these data show that CBD leads to improvement in fracture healing and demonstrate the critical mechanical role of collagen crosslinking enzymes.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25801536

Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol alone and combined with cannabidiol mitigate fear memory through reconsolidation disruption.

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“Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) are the major constituents of the Cannabis sativa plant, which is frequently consumed by subjects exposed to life-threatening situations to relief their symptomatology.

It is still unknown, however, whether THC could also affect the maintenance of an aversive memory formed at that time when taken separately and/or in conjunction with CBD. The present study sought to investigate this matter at a preclinical level.

We report that THC (0.3-10mg/kg, i.p.) was able to disrupt the reconsolidation of a contextual fear memory, resulting in reduced conditioned freezing expression for over 22 days. This effect was dependent on activation of cannabinoid type-1 receptors located in prelimbic subregion of the medial prefrontal cortex and on memory retrieval/reactivation.

Since CBD may counteract the negative psychotropic effects induced by THC and has been shown to be a reconsolidation blocker, we then investigated and demonstrated that associating sub-effective doses of these two compounds was equally effective in attenuating fear memory maintenance in an additive fashion and in a dose ratio of 10 to 1, which contrasts with that commonly found in C. sativa recreational samples.

Of note, neither THC alone nor CBD plus THC interfered with anxiety-related behaviors and locomotor activity, as assessed in the elevated plus-maze test, at a time point coinciding with that used to evaluate their effects on memory reconsolidation.

Altogether, present findings suggest a potential therapeutic value of using THC and/or CBD to mitigate a dysfunctional aversive memory through reconsolidation disruption in post-traumatic stress disorder patients.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25799920

http://www.thctotalhealthcare.com/category/post-traumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd/

Cannabinoid Receptor 1 and Acute Resistance Exercise – In vivo and In vitro Studies in Human Skeletal Muscle.

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“This study aimed to determine whether cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1) is involved in mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling and skeletal muscle protein synthesis…

Our results indicate that RE down-regulates CB1 expression. Inhibition of CB1 signaling increases skeletal muscle anabolic signaling down-stream of mTOR and protein synthesis through ERK1/2.

Our study may provide base for the development of CB1-blocking drugs to treat or prevent muscle wasting.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25796352

Inhibition of monoacylglycerol lipase mediates a cannabinoid 1-receptor dependent delay of kindling progression in mice.

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“Endocannabinoids, including 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG), activate presynaptic cannabinoid type 1 receptors (CB1R) on inhibitory and excitatory neurons, resulting in a decreased release of neurotransmitters.

Event-specific activation of the endocannabinoid system by inhibition of the endocannabinoid degrading enzymes may offer a promising strategy to selectively activate CB1Rs at the site of excessive neuronal activation with the overall goal to prevent the development epilepsy.

The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL) inhibition on the development and progression of epileptic seizures in the kindling model of temporal lobe epilepsy.

In conclusion, the data demonstrate that indirect CB1R agonism delays the development of generalized epileptic seizures, but has no relevant acute anticonvulsive effects.

Furthermore, we confirmed that the effects of JZL184 on kindling progression are CB1R mediated.

Thus, the data indicate that the endocannabinoid 2-AG might be a promising target for an anti-epileptogenic approach.”

Endocannabinoid signaling at the periphery: 50 years after THC.

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“In 1964, the psychoactive ingredient of Cannabis sativa, Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), was isolated. Nearly 30 years later the endogenous counterparts of THC, collectively termed endocannabinoids (eCBs), were discovered: N-arachidonoylethanolamine (anandamide) (AEA) in 1992 and 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) in 1995.

Since then, considerable research has shed light on the impact of eCBs on human health and disease, identifying an ensemble of proteins that bind, synthesize, and degrade them and that together form the eCB system (ECS). eCBs control basic biological processes including cell choice between survival and death and progenitor/stem cell proliferation and differentiation.

Unsurprisingly, in the past two decades eCBs have been recognized as key mediators of several aspects of human pathophysiology and thus have emerged to be among the most widespread and versatile signaling molecules ever discovered.

Here some of the pioneers of this research field review the state of the art of critical eCB functions in peripheral organs. Our community effort is aimed at establishing consensus views on the relevance of the peripheral ECS for human health and disease pathogenesis, as well as highlighting emerging challenges and therapeutic hopes.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25796370

Cannabinoids for the Treatment of Chronic Non-Cancer Pain: An Updated Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials.

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“An updated systematic review of randomized controlled trials examining cannabinoids in the treatment of chronic non-cancer pain was conducted according to PRISMA guidelines for systematic reviews reporting on health care outcomes.

Eleven trials published since our last review met inclusion criteria.

The quality of the trials was excellent.

Seven of the trials demonstrated a significant analgesic effect.

Several trials also demonstrated improvement in secondary outcomes (e.g., sleep, muscle stiffness and spasticity).

Adverse effects most frequently reported such as fatigue and dizziness were mild to moderate in severity and generally well tolerated.

This review adds further support that currently available cannabinoids are safe, modestly effective analgesics that provide a reasonable therapeutic option in the management of chronic non-cancer pain.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25796592

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