“Clinical and neurobiological findings suggest that the cannabinoids and the endocannabinoid system may be implicated in the pathophysiology and treatment of schizophrenia.
Our results reinforce the role of the endocannabinoid system in the sensorimotor gating impairment related to schizophrenia, and point to cannabinoid drugs as potential therapeutic strategies.”
“…the Cannabis sativa herb has been known for its therapeutic benefit for centuries… interest in the clinical potential of cannabinoid-based drugs escalated after the discovery of the endocannabinoid system… therapeutic applications of cannabinoids (plant-derived or synthetic)… may constitute a useful addition to the pharmacotherapeutic armamentarium in chronic conditions insufficiently alleviated by existing drugs.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22646020
“The endocannabinoid system and its therapeutic exploitation.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15340387
“Cannabinoid receptors as therapeutic targets.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16402900
“Cannabinoids.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16266285
“Plant, synthetic, and endogenous cannabinoids in medicine.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16409166
“Based on numerous pharmacological studies that have revealed an interaction between cannabinoid and opioid systems at the molecular, neurochemical, and behavioral levels, a new series of hybrid molecules has been prepared by coupling the molecular features of two wellknown drugs, ie, rimonabant and fentanyl. The new compounds have been tested for their affinity and functionality regarding CB1 and CB2 cannabinoid and μ opioid receptors. In [(35)S]-GTPγS (guanosine 5′-O-[gamma-thio]triphosphate) binding assays from the post-mortem human frontal cortex, they proved to be CB1 cannabinoid antagonists and μ opioid antagonists. Interestingly, in vivo, the new compounds exhibited a significant dual antagonist action on the endocannabinoid and opioid systems.”
“The efficacy of cannabinoids against high-grade glioma in animal models, mediated by two specific receptors, CB1 and CB2, raised promises for targeted treatment of the most frequent and malignant primary brain tumors.
Unlike the abundantly expressed CB1, the CB2 receptor shows a restricted distribution in normal brain. Although brain tumors constitute the second most common malignancy in children and the prevalence of histological types of brain tumors vary significantly between the adult and pediatric populations, cannabinoid receptor expression in pediatric tumors remains unknown.
In the present study, we compared the expression of the CB2 receptor in paraffin-embedded sections from primary brain tumors of adult and pediatric patients. Most glioblastomas expressed very high levels of CB2 receptors and the expression correlated with tumor grade.
Interestingly, some benign pediatric astrocytic tumors, such as subependymal giant cell astrocytoma (SEGA), which may occasionally cause mortality owing to progressive growth, also displayed high CB2 immunoreactivity.
The high levels of CB2 expression would predestine those tumors to be vulnerable to cannabinoid treatment.
In contrast, all examined cases of embryonal tumors (medulloblastoma and S-PNET), the most frequently diagnosed malignant brain tumors in childhood, showed no or trace CB2 immunoreactivity.
Our results suggest that the CB2 receptor expression depends primarily on the histopathological origin of the brain tumor cells and differentiation state, reflecting the tumor grade.”
“Cannabinoid type 1 (CB1) receptors are highly expressed in the brain… Endogenous cannabinoid signaling is modulated by high-fat diet (HFD).
We investigated the consequences of congenital lack of CB1 receptors on sleep in mice fed standard diet (SD) and HFD.
CB1 cannabinoid receptor knock-out (KO) and wild-type (WT) mice were fed SD or HFD for 4 months .
The occurrence of multiple sleep alterations in KO indicates important roles of CB1 cannabinoid receptors in limiting arousal during the active period of the day, in sleep regulation, and in sleep EEG in mice.”
“Phototherapy is a powerful, noninvasive approach for cancer treatment, with several agents currently in clinical use.
…we developed a phototherapy agent that combines a functional ligand and a near infrared phthalocyanine dye. Our target is type 2 cannabinoid receptor (CB2R), considered an attractive therapeutic target for phototherapy given it is overexpressed by many types of cancers that are located at a surface or can be reached by an endoscope.
Overall, this opens up the opportunity for development of an alternative treatment option for CB2R-positive cancers.”
“More than 60% of advanced cancer patients suffer from anorexia and cachexia.
This review focuses on the possible mechanisms by which the endocannabinoid system antagonizes cachexia-anorexia processes in cancer patients and how it can be tapped for therapeutic applications.
Cannabinoids stimulate appetite and food intake…
Cannabinoid type 1 receptor activation stimulates appetite and promotes lipogenesis and energy storage.
Further study of cancer-cachexia pathophysiology and the role of endocannabinoids will help us to develop cannabinoids without psychotropic properties, which will help cancer patients suffering from cachexia and improve outcomes of clinical antitumor therapy.”
“The endocannabinoid system, comprising lipid-derived endocannabinoids, their G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), and the enzymes for their metabolism, is emerging as a promising therapeutic target in cancer.
This report highlights the main signaling pathways for the antitumor effects of the endocannabinoid system in cancer and its basic role in cancerpathogenesis, and discusses the alternative view of cannabinoid receptors as tumor promoters.
We focus on new players in the antitumor action of the endocannabinoid system and on emerging crosstalk among cannabinoid receptors and other membrane or nuclear receptors involved in cancer.”
“Several studies in cell cultures and in animal models have demonstrated that cannabinoids have important antitumoral properties… many of these effects are mediated through cannabinoid (CB) receptors CB1 and CB2…
The obtained data suggest a possible implication of the endocannabinoid system in renal carcinogenesis.”
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2989249/
“Objective: To analyze the mRNA and protein expression of cannabinoid receptors CB1 and CB2 in chromophobe renal cell carcinoma (ChRCC) and renal oncocytoma (RO)…
Quantitative RT-PCR analysis showed that CB1 mRNA was underexpressed by 12-fold in ChRCC and had a variable expression in RO. CB1 protein showed intense positive immunostaining in both neoplasms. Both CB2 mRNA and protein were not expressed in tumor and non tumorrenal tissue.
This distinct immunoprofile may eventually be used as an additional tool with practical interest in the differential diagnosis of renal tumors.”