Role of cannabinoid receptor type 1 in rostral ventrolateral medulla in high-fat diet-induced hypertension in rats.

“Stimulation of cannabinoid type 1 (CB1) receptor in the rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM) increases renal sympathetic activity (RSNA) and blood pressure (BP) in rats. Thus, we hypothesized that CB1 receptor in the RVLM may play a critical role in the development of obesity-induced hypertension.

METHODS:

To this end, we evaluated the levels of endocannabinoids and CB1 receptors in the RVLM in high-fat diet (HFD)-induced hypertensive rats. We then used pharmacological and molecular methods to examine the role of RVLM CB1 receptors in regulation of BP, heart rate (HR), and RSNA in obesity-induced hypertensive rats.

RESULTS:

We found that HFD-fed rats exhibited higher basal BP, HR, and RSNA than standard diet-fed rats, which were associated with increased levels of endocannabinoids and CB1 receptor expression in the RVLM. Furthermore, unilateral intra-RVLM microinjections of AM251 (0, 100, or 500 nM/0.5 μl/site) dose-dependently decreased BP, HR, and RSNA to a greater extent in HFD-fed rats than in standard diet-fed rats. Finally, siRNA-mediated knockdown of CB1 receptor expression in the RVLM robustly decreased BP, HR, and RSNA in HFD-fed rats.

CONCLUSION:

Taken together, our results suggested that enhanced CB1 receptor-mediated neurotransmissions in the RVLM may play a role in the development of obesity-induced hypertension.” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29493561 https://insights.ovid.com/crossref?an=00004872-201804000-00015]]>

The Role of Cannabinoid Receptor 1 in the Immunopathology of Respiratory Syncytial Virus.

Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. publishers “Endocannabinoid system plays an important role in pathophysiologic processes such as immune functions and impacts on disease severity. Our previous study showed that cannabinoid receptor 2 (CB2) affects clinical course of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection. In this study, we investigated the role of cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1) in RSV immunopathology and its therapeutic potential in mice model. This study and our previous finding indicated that endocannabinoid signaling regulates the inflammatory response to RSV infection, and is a potential therapeutic candidate for alleviation of RSV-associated immunopathology.” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29461930 http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/vim.2017.0098
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