“The objective of this paper is to review the available literature regarding the use of cannabis and cannabinoids in adult oncologic pain management.
Tag Archives: cannabinoid
Effects of cannabinoids in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) murine models: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
“Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disorder that results from motor neuron damage. Cannabinoids have been proposed as treatments for ALS due to their anti-excitotoxicity, anti-oxidant, and anti-inflammatory effects. This review provides some evidence for the efficacy of cannabinoids in prolonging survival time in an ALS mouse model. A delay in disease progression is also suggested following cannabinoid treatment” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30520038 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/jnc.14639 “The endocannabinoid system in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. There is increasing evidence that cannabinoids and manipulation of the endocannabinoid system may have therapeutic value in ALS, in addition to other neurodegenerative conditions. Cannabinoids exert anti-glutamatergic and anti-inflammatory actions through activation of the CB(1) and CB(2) receptors, respectively. Cannabinoid agents may also exert anti-oxidant actions by a receptor-independent mechanism. Therefore the ability of cannabinoids to target multiple neurotoxic pathways in different cell populations may increase their therapeutic potential in the treatment of ALS.” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18781981 http://www.thctotalhealthcare.com/category/amyotrophic-lateral-sclerosis-als-lou-gehrigs-disease/]]>
Behavioral effects of psychostimulants in mutant mice with cell-type specific deletion of CB2 cannabinoid receptors in dopamine neurons.
“Activation of the endocannabinoid system modulate dopaminergic pathways that are involved in the effects of psychostimulants including amphetamine, cocaine, nicotine and other drugs of abuse. Genetic deletion or pharmacological activation of CB2 cannabinoid receptor is involved in the modulation of the effects of psychostimulants and their rewarding properties. Taken together, our data suggest that CB2Rs play a role in the modulation of dopamine-related effects of psychostimulants and could be exploited as therapeutic target in psychostimulant addiction and other psychiatric disorders associated with dopamine dysregulation.” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30508607 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0166432818311987?via%3Dihub]]>
Cannabinoid-1 Receptor Antagonism Improves Glycemic Control and Increases Energy Expenditure via Sirt1/mTORC2 and AMPK Signaling.
“Endocannabinoids promote energy conservation in obesity, whereas cannabinoid-1 receptor (CB1 R) blockade reverses body weight gain and insulin resistance and increases energy expenditure. Here we investigated the molecular mechanisms of the catabolic effects of CB1 R blockade in the liver. CONCLUSION: peripheral CB1 R blockade in obese mice improves glycemic control via the hepatic Sirt1/mTORC2/Akt pathway, whereas it increases fatty acid oxidation via LKB1/AMPK signaling.” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30506571 https://aasldpubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/hep.30364]]>
Cannabinoid receptor type-1 partially mediates metabolic endotoxemia-induced inflammation and insulin resistance.
“Cannabinoid receptor type-1 partially mediates metabolic endotoxemia-induced inflammation and insulin resistance. Despite no significant differences in body weight among groups, chronic exposure to low-level LPS altered hepatic endocannabinoid signaling, increased inflammation, and impaired insulin sensitivity and insulin clearance. CB1 inhibition significantly attenuated LPS signaling, which attenuated LPS-induced metabolic alterations. Therefore, we concluded that CB1 contributes to LPS-mediated inflammation and insulin resistance, suggesting that blocking CB1 signaling may have therapeutic benefits in reducing inflammation-induced metabolic abnormalities.” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30502357 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0031938418304190?via%3Dihub]]>
Cannabis-based products for pediatric epilepsy: A systematic review.
“Evidence from high-quality randomized controlled trials (RCTs) suggests that cannabidiol probably reduces seizures among children with drug-resistant epilepsy (moderate certainty).” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30515765 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/epi.14608 “Phytocannabinoids produce anticonvulsant effects through the endocannabinoid system, with few adverse effects.” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25475762]]>
Exploiting the Multifaceted Effects of Cannabinoids on Mood to Boost Their Therapeutic Use Against Anxiety and Depression.
“The endocannabinoid system (ECS) has been recently recognized as a prominent promoter of the emotional homeostasis, mediating the effects of different environmental signals including rewarding and stressing stimuli. The complex influences of the ECS on both the environmental and internal stimuli processing, make the cannabinoid-based drugs an appealing option to treat different psychiatric conditions. In particular, better knowledge of the multifaceted effects of cannabinoids could help to understand how to boost their therapeutic use in anxiety and depression treatment.” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30515077 https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnmol.2018.00424/full]]>
Emerging drugs for the treatment of Dravet syndrome.
“Dravet syndrome (DS) is an early-onset genetic developmental epileptic encephalopathy characterized by multiple seizure types which are refractory to antiseizure medication. There is an unmet need for effective and tolerable drugs to control different seizure types in DS types, with the aim of improving quality of life and preventing neurological impairment.
Areas covered: Narrative review of efficacy and tolerability of fenfluramine, cannabidiol (CBD), verapamil and modulators of serotonin signaling pathways (lorcaserin or trazodone) in the treatment of DS.
Expert Opinion/Commentary: A recent large randomized controlled-trial has shown that CBD is effective in the treatment of DS; preliminary data from the placebo-controlled trial on fenfluramine are also promising. Further studies are definitely required to evaluate the role of verapamil and modulators of serotonin signaling in DS. At present, drugs used to treat seizures in DS treat the symptoms of epilepsy rather than its cause(s). Future research should focus on elucidating the natural history of DS and whether appropriate treatment can have a beneficial impact on its disease course. A multidisciplinary, individualized approach to care of DS patients is required.”
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30482063
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14728214.2018.1552937?journalCode=iemd20
Reefer madness or real medicine? A plea for incorporating medicinal cannabis in pharmacy curricula.
“Over the past twenty years, the acceptance and use of medicinal cannabis has increased in the United States. However, there is still a lack of education and comfort as it relates to the therapeutic uses of botanical cannabis and cannabidiol in pharmacy professional curricula. Professional training programs have failed to keep pace with the evolving national landscape and growing acceptance of this therapy.
PERSPECTIVE:
In this manuscript, the current landscape of pharmacy professional involvement in the dispensing and administration of medicinal cannabis throughout the United States is described. A concern exists that there is a knowledge gap among pharmacists and pharmacy students, as demonstrated by recent survey results, related to the pharmacology, dosing, administration, adverse effects, drug interactions, and monitoring of both medicinal and recreational cannabis use.IMPLICATIONS:
While cannabis use is still considered illegal by the federal government, it is imperative pharmacy educators prepare the next generation of pharmacists to be knowledgeable on the safe and effective use and communication tactics related to cannabis. As a therapy garnering national attention with growing support for use, education on this topic must be included in pharmacy curricula and pharmacy continuing education.” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30497617 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1877129717304860?via%3Dihub]]>Peripubertal cannabidiol treatment rescued behavioral and neurochemical abnormalities in MAM model of schizophrenia.
“In agreement with the neurodevelopmental hypothesis of schizophrenia, prenatal exposure of rats to the antimitotic agent methylazoxymethanol acetate (MAM) at gestational day 17 produced long-lasting behavioral alterations such as social withdrawal and cognitive impairment in the social interaction test and in the novel object recognition test, respectively. At molecular level, an increased cannabinoid receptor type-1 (CB1) mRNA and protein expression which might be due to a reduction in DNA methylation at gene promoter in the prefrontal cortex (PFC), coincided with deficits in the social interaction test and in the novel object recognition test in MAM rats. Both schizophrenia-like phenotype and altered transcriptional regulation of CB1 receptors were reversed by peripubertal treatment (from PND 19 to PND 39) with the non-psychotropic phytocannabinoid cannabidiol (30 mg/kg/day), or, in part, by treatment with the cannabinoid CB1 receptor antagonist/inverse agonist AM251 (0.5 mg/kg/day), but not with haloperidol (0.6 mg/kg/day). These results suggest that early treatment with cannabidiol may prevent both the appearance of schizophrenia-like deficits as well as CB1 alterations in the PFC at adulthood, supporting that peripubertal cannabidiol treatment might be protective against MAM insult.”
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30496751
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0028390818308761?via%3Dihub