Tag Archives: cannabinoid receptors

Spinal neuronal cannabinoid receptors mediate urodynamic effects of systemic fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) inhibition in rats.

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“To test if urodynamic effects from systemic Fatty Acid Amide Hydrolase (FAAH) inhibition involve sacral spinal cannabinoid type 1 (CB1) or type 2 (CB2) receptors…

Urodynamic effects of systemic FAAH inhibition involve activities at spinal neuronal CB1 and CB2 receptors in normal and obstructed rats.

Endogenous spinal CB receptor ligands seem to regulate normal micturition and bladder overactivity (BO). Altered spinal CB receptor functions may be involved in the pathogenesis of obstruction-induced BO.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25788026

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/

Cannabinoid Replacement Therapy (CRT): Nabiximols (Sativex) as a novel treatment for cannabis withdrawal.

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“Cannabis is a common recreational drug that is generally considered to have low addictive potential.

However an increasing number of cannabis users are seeking treatment for dependence on the drug.

There is interest in using agonist (substitution) pharmacotherapies to treat cannabis dependence and here we outline a novel approach involving a buccal spray (Nabiximols) that contains tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD).

We review recent research with Nabiximols and highlight findings relevant to clinical practice.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25777582

Cannabis in cancer care.

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“Cannabis has been used in medicine for thousands of years prior to achieving its current illicit substance status.

Cannabinoids, the active components of Cannabis sativa, mimic the effects of the endogenous cannabinoids (endocannabinoids), activating specific cannabinoid receptors, particularly CB1 found predominantly in the central nervous system and CB2 found predominantly in cells involved with immune function.

Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, the main bioactive cannabinoid in the plant, has been available as a prescription medication approved for treatment of cancer chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting and anorexia associated with the AIDS wasting syndrome.

Cannabinoids may be of benefit in the treatment of cancer-related pain, possibly synergistic with opioid analgesics.

Cannabinoids have been shown to be of benefit in the treatment of HIV-related peripheral neuropathy, suggesting that they may be worthy of study in patients with other neuropathic symptoms.

Cannabinoids have a favorable drug safety profile, but their medical use is predominantly limited by their psychoactive effects and their limited bioavailability.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25777363

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

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/

Cannabinoid receptors as therapeutic targets for dialysis-induced peritoneal fibrosis.

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“Long-term exposure to bioincompatible peritoneal dialysis solutions is frequently complicated with peritoneal fibrosis and ultrafiltration failure.

As cannabinoid receptor (CBR) ligands have been reported to be beneficial to ameliorate the process of liver fibrosis, we strove to investigate their therapeutic potential to prevent peritoneal fibrosis…

Intraperitoneal administration of CBR ligands (CB(1)R antagonist and CB(2)R agonist) offers a potential therapeutic strategy to reduce dialysis-induced peritoneal fibrosis and to prolong the peritoneal survival in peritoneal dialysis patients.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23296044

Cannabinoid receptor 1 is a major mediator of renal fibrosis.

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“Chronic kidney disease, secondary to renal fibrogenesis, is a burden on public health.

There is a need to explore new therapeutic pathways to reduce renal fibrogenesis.

To study this, we used unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO) in mice as an experimental model of renal fibrosis and microarray analysis to compare gene expression in fibrotic and normal kidneys.

The cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1) was among the most upregulated genes in mice, and the main endogenous CB1 ligand (2-arachidonoylglycerol) was significantly increased in the fibrotic kidney.

Interestingly, CB1 expression was highly increased in kidney biopsies of patients with IgA nephropathy, diabetes, and acute interstitial nephritis. Both genetic and pharmacological knockout of CB1 induced a profound reduction in renal fibrosis during UUO. While CB2 is also involved in renal fibrogenesis, it did not potentiate the role of CB1. CB1 expression was significantly increased in myofibroblasts, the main effector cells in renal fibrogenesis, upon TGF-β1 stimulation.

The decrease in renal fibrosis during CB1 blockade could be explained by a direct action on myofibroblasts. CB1 blockade reduced collagen expression in vitro. Rimonabant, a selective CB1 endocannabinoid receptor antagonist, modulated the macrophage infiltrate responsible for renal fibrosis in UUO through a decrease in monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 synthesis.

Thus, CB1 has a major role in the activation of myofibroblasts and may be a new target for treating chronic kidney disease.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25760323

Protective Role of CB2 Receptor Activation in Galactosamine/LPS-induced Acute Liver Failure Through Regulation of Macrophage Polarization and miRNAs.

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“Acute liver failure (ALF) is a potentially life threatening disorder without any effective treatment strategies. D-Galactosamine/LPS (GalN/LPS)-induced ALF is a widely used animal model to identify novel hepato-protective agents.

In the present study, we investigated the potential of a Cannabinoid receptor 2 (CB2) agonist, in the amelioration of GalN/LPS induced ALF…

Together, these data demonstrate for the first time that CB2 activation attenuates GalN/LPS-induced ALF by inducing an M1 to M2 shift in macrophages and by regulating the expression of unique miRs that target key molecules involved in TLR4 pathway.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25749929

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