Tag Archives: cannabinoid receptors

Protective effects of Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol against N-methyl-d-aspartate-induced AF5 cell death.

Posted on by

Image result for delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol

“One of the most promising potential medical applications of cannabinoids involves their ability to protect cells from a variety of toxic events.

Cannabinoids have been reported to protect neurons from death…

Cannabinoids, such as the pharmacologically active component of marijuana (-)Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)…

The neuroprotective effects of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) were examined…

Protective effects of Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol… THC may function as an antioxidant to increase cell survival… 

THC can produce receptor-independent neuroprotective or cellular protective effects at micromolar concentrations as a result of its antioxidant properties…

In conclusion, THC produces a potent neuroprotective effect…”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1824211/

Delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol protects hippocampal neurons from excitotoxicity.

Posted on by

Image result for delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol

“Excitotoxic neuronal death underlies many neurodegenerative disorders…

Delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol protects hippocampal neurons from excitotoxicity…

…desensitization of CB(1) receptors diminishes the neuroprotective effects of cannabinoids.

This study demonstrates the importance of agonist efficacy and the duration of treatment on the neuroprotective effects of cannabinoids.

It will be important to consider these effects on neuronal survival when evaluating pharmacologic treatments that modulate the endocannabinoid system.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17140550

“Molecular Mechanisms of Cannabinoid Protection from Neuronal Excitotoxicity” http://molpharm.aspetjournals.org/content/69/3/691.long

Molecular Mechanisms of Cannabinoid Protection from Neuronal Excitotoxicity

Posted on by

“Cannabinoids protect neurons from excitotoxic injury…

Endogenous or exogenous cannabinoids have shown neuroprotective effects…

The main finding reported here is that cannabinoids protect neurons from excitotoxic injury by a mechanism that involves the activation of CB1R and inhibition of NOS and PKA….

Cannabinoid receptor agonist drugs protect neurons…

By identifying the signaling pathways responsible for cannabinoid effects in animal models of disease and their human counterparts, it may be possible to design more specific and therefore more efficacious cannabinoid-based therapies.”

http://molpharm.aspetjournals.org/content/69/3/691.long

“Delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol protects hippocampal neurons from excitotoxicity.”  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17140550

Cannabinoids & Stress: Impact of HU-210 on behavioral tests of anxiety in acutely stressed mice.

Posted on by

“Anxiety disorders are one of the most prevalent classes of mental disorders affecting the general population, but current treatment strategies are restricted by their limited efficacy and side effect profiles.

Although the cannabinoid system is speculated to be a key player in the modulation of stress responses and emotionality, the vast majority of current research initiatives had not incorporated stress exposure into their experimental designs.

This study was the first to investigate the impact of exogenous cannabinoid administration in an acutely stressed mouse model, where CD1 mice were pre-treated with HU-210, a potent CB1R agonist, prior to acute stress exposure and subsequent behavioural testing.

Exogenouscannabinoid administration induced distinct behavioural phenotypes in stressed and unstressed mice…

These findings suggest that exogenous cannabinoids and acute stress act synergistically in an anxiogenic manner.

This study underlies the importance of including stress exposure into future anxiety-cannabinoid research due to the differential impact of cannabinoid administration on stressed and unstressed subjects.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25707713

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

Sativex in the management of multiple sclerosis-related spasticity: role of the corticospinal modulation.

Posted on by

“Sativex is an emergent treatment option for spasticity in patients affected by multiple sclerosis (MS).

This oromucosal spray, acting as a partial agonist at cannabinoid receptors, may modulate the balance between excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters, leading to muscle relaxation that is in turn responsible for spasticity improvement.

The aim of our study was to investigate the role of Sativex in improving spasticity and related symptomatology in MS patients by means of an extensive neurophysiological assessment of sensory-motor circuits…

Our data showed an increase of intracortical inhibition, a significant reduction of spinal excitability, and an improvement in spasticity and associated symptoms.

Thus, we can speculate that Sativex could be effective in reducing spasticity by means of a double effect on intracortical and spinal excitability.”

Interactions of the opioid and cannabinoid systems in reward: Insights from knockout studies.

Posted on by

“The opioid system consists of three receptors, mu, delta, and kappa, which are activated by endogenous opioid peptides (enkephalins, endorphins, and dynorphins).

The endogenous cannabinoid system comprises lipid neuromodulators (endocannabinoids), enzymes for their synthesis and their degradation and two well-characterized receptors, cannabinoid receptors CB1 and CB2.

These systems play a major role in the control of pain as well as in mood regulation, reward processing and the development of addiction.

Both opioid and cannabinoid receptors are coupled to G proteins and are expressed throughout the brain reinforcement circuitry.

A better understanding of opioid-cannabinoid interactions may provide novel strategies for therapies in addicted individuals.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25698968

Conformational Restriction Leading to a Selective CB2 Cannabinoid Receptor Agonist Orally Active Against Colitis.

Posted on by

“The CB2 cannabinoid receptor has been implicated in the regulation of intestinal inflammation.

Following on from the promising activity of a series of 4-oxo-1,4-dihydroquinoline-3-carboxamide, we developed constrained analogues based on a 2H-pyrazolo[4,3-c]quinolin-3(5H)-one scaffold, with improved affinity for the hCB2 receptor and had very high selectivity over the hCB1 receptor.

Importantly, the lead of this series (26, hCB2: K i = 0.39 nM, hCB1: K i > 3000 nM) was found to protect mice against experimental colitis after oral administration.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25699149

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

Effects of pro-inflammatory cytokines on cannabinoid CB1 and CB2 receptors in immune cells.

Posted on by

“To investigate the regulation of cannabinoid receptors CB1 and CB2 on immune cells by proinflammatory cytokines and its potential relevance to the inflammatory neurological disease, multiple sclerosis (MS).

CB1 and CB2 signalling may be anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective in neuroinflammatory diseases.

Cannabinoids can suppress inflammatory cytokines…

The levels of CB1 and CB2 can be up-regulated by inflammatory cytokines, which can explain their increase in inflammatory conditions including MS”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25704169

http://www.thctotalhealthcare.com/category/multiple-sclerosis-ms/

The CB1 cannabinoid receptor signals striatal neuroprotection via a PI3K/Akt/mTORC1/BDNF pathway.

Posted on by

“The CB1 cannabinoid receptor, the main molecular target of endocannabinoids and cannabis active components, is the most abundant G protein-coupled receptor in the mammalian brain.

In particular, the CB1 receptor is highly expressed in the basal ganglia, mostly on terminals of medium-sized spiny neurons, where it plays a key neuromodulatory function.

The CB1 receptor also confers neuroprotection in various experimental models of striatal damage…

Here, by using an array of pharmacological, genetic and pharmacogenetic approaches, we show that (1) CB1receptor engagement protects striatal cells from excitotoxic death via the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Akt/mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 pathway, which, in turn, (2) induces brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) expression through the selective activation of BDNF gene promoter IV, an effect that is mediated by multiple transcription factors.

Collectively, these findings unravel a molecular link between CB1 receptor activation and BDNF expression, and support the relevance of the CB1/BDNF axis in promoting striatal neuron survival.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25698444

Cannabidiol (CBD) and its analogs: a review of their effects on inflammation.

Posted on by

“First isolated from Cannabis in 1940 by Roger Adams, the structure of CBD was not completely elucidated until 1963.

Subsequent studies resulted in the pronouncement that THC was the ‘active’ principle of Cannabis and research then focused primarily on it to the virtual exclusion of CBD.

This was no doubt due to the belief that activity meant psychoactivity that was shown by THC and not by CBD.

In retrospect this must be seen as unfortunate since a number of actions of CBD with potential therapeutic benefit were downplayed for many years.

In this review, attention will be focused on the effects of CBD in the broad area of inflammation where such benefits seem likely to be developed.

Topics covered in this review are; the medicinal chemistry of CBD, CBD receptor binding involved in controlling Inflammation, signaling events generated by CBD, downstream events affected by CBD (gene expression and transcription), functional effects reported for CBD and combined THC plus CBD treatment.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25703248