Tag Archives: endocannabinoid system

Proapoptotic effect of endocannabinoids in prostate cancer cells.

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“Recent evidence shows that derivatives of Cannabis sativa and its analogs may exert a protective effect against different types of oncologic pathologies.

The purpose of the present study was to detect the presence of cannabinoid receptors (CB1 and CB2) on cancer cells with a prostatic origin and to evaluate the effect of the in vitro use of synthetic analogs…

Based on these results, we suggest that endocannabinoids may be a beneficial option for the treatment of prostate cancer that has become nonresponsive to common therapies.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25606819

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

Role of endocannabinoid signalling in the dorsolateral periaqueductal grey in the modulation of distinct panic-like responses.

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“Since the cannabinoid CB1 receptor modulates various types of aversive responses, this study tested the hypothesis that enhancement of endocannabinoid signalling in the dorsolateral periaqueductal grey inhibits panic-like reactions in rats…

The present results confirm the anti-aversive property of direct CB1 receptor activation in the dorsolateral periaqueductal grey…

Altogether, these results suggest that anandamide signalling is recruited only under certain types of aversive stimuli.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25601395

http://www.thctotalhealthcare.com/category/panic-attack/

Endocannabinoid-mediated modulation of Gq/11 protein-coupled receptor signaling-induced vasoconstriction and hypertension.

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“Activation of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) can induce vasoconstriction via calcium signal-mediated and Rho-dependent pathways…

Our aim was to provide evidence that GPCR signaling-induced 2-AG production and activation of vascular type1 cannabinoid receptors (CB1R) is capable of reducing agonist-induced vasoconstriction and hypertension…

Pharmacological or genetic loss of CB1R function augmented AngII-induced blood pressure rise in mice.

These data demonstrate that vasoconstrictor effect of GPCR agonists is attenuated via Gq/11-mediated vascular endocannabinoid formation.

Agonist-induced endocannabinoid-mediated CB1R activation is a significant physiological modulator of vascular tone.

Thus, the selective modulation of GPCR signaling-induced endocannabinoid release has a therapeutic potential in case of increased vascular tone and hypertension.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25595485

http://www.thctotalhealthcare.com/category/hypertension-high-blood-pressure/

Perturbations of the endocannabinoid system in mantle cell lymphoma: correlations to clinical and pathological features.

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“The cannabinoid receptors are upregulated in many types of cancers, including mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) and have been suggested to constitute novel therapeutic targets.

…  the relative expression of the anandamide synthesizing and metabolizing enzymes in MCL is heavily perturbed.

This finding, together with high expression of cannabinoid receptors, could favor enhanced anandamide signaling and suggest that targeting the endocannabinoid system might be considered as part of lymphoma therapy.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25594062

“We have previously shown that exposure of MCL cells to cannabinoids induces cell death in vitro and reduces tumor growth in xenograft mouse models… cancer tissues express higher levels of cannabinoid receptors than the non-malignant counterparts and the endocannabinoid system is therefore considered as a potential novel therapeutic target in cancer therapy.”  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4278325/

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

Regulation of circulating endocannabinoids associated with cancer and metastases in mice and humans.

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“Endocannabinoids may modify cancer development, progression and associated pain.

We determined whether cancer-evoked dysregulations in this system become manifest in altered tissue and plasma endocannabinoids…

 The endocannabinoid system was subject to cancer-associated regulations to an extent that led to measurable changes in circulating endocannabinoid levels, emphasizing the importance of the endocannabinoid system in the pathophysiology of cancer.”

Neuroprotection in Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis and Progressive Multiple Sclerosis by Cannabis-Based Cannabinoids.

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“Multiple sclerosis (MS) is the major immune-mediated, demyelinating, neurodegenerative disease of the central nervous system.

Compounds within cannabis, notably Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC) can limit the inappropriate neurotransmissions that cause MS-related problems and medicinal cannabis is now licenced for the treatment of MS symptoms.

However, the biology indicates that the endocannabinoid system may offer the potential to control other aspects of disease.

… we and others can experimentally demonstrate that they may limit neurodegeneration that drives progressive disability.

Here we show that synthetic cannabidiol can slow down the accumulation of disability from the inflammatory penumbra during relapsing experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) in ABH mice, possibly via blockade of voltage-gated sodium channels.

In addition, whilst non-sedating doses of Δ9-THC do not inhibit relapsing autoimmunity, they dose-dependently inhibit the accumulation of disability during EAE. They also appear to slow down clinical progression during MS in humans…

… demonstrated a significant slowing of progression by oral Δ9-THC compared to placebo.

Whilst this may support the experimental and biological evidence for a neuroprotective effect by the endocannabinoid system in MS, it remains to be established whether this will be formally demonstrated in further trials of Δ9-THC/cannabis in progressive MS.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25537576

http://www.thctotalhealthcare.com/category/experimental-autoimmune-encephalomyelitis/

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

Drug discovery strategies that focus on the endocannabinoid signaling system in psychiatric disease.

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“The endocannabinoid (eCB) system plays an important role in the control of mood, and its dysregulation has been implicated in several psychiatric disorders.

Targeting the eCB system appears to represent an attractive and novel approach to the treatment of depression and other mood disorders.

…the review provides discussion on compounds and drugs that target this system and might prove to be successful for the treatment of mood-related psychiatric disorders.

The discovery of increasingly selective modulators of CB receptors should enable the identification of optimal therapeutic strategies.

It should also maximize the likelihood of developing safe and effective treatments for debilitating psychiatric disorders.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25488672

Phytocannabinoids and epilepsy.

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“Antiepileptic drugs often produce serious adverse effects, and many patients do not respond to them properly.

Phytocannabinoids produce anticonvulsant effects in preclinical and preliminary human studies, and appear to produce fewer adverse effects than available antiepileptic drugs.

The present review summarizes studies on the anticonvulsant properties of phytocannabinoids.

Preclinical studies suggest that phytocannabinoids, especially cannabidiol and cannabidivarin, have potent anticonvulsant effects which are mediated by the endocannabinoid system. Human studies are limited in number and quality, but suggest that cannabidiol has anticonvulsant effects in adult and infantile epilepsy and is well tolerated after prolonged administration…

 

Phytocannabinoids produce anticonvulsant effects through the endocannabinoid system, with few adverse effects.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25475762

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

Cannabinoids in the treatment of pain

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“Cannabinoids and the endo-cannabinoid system play an important role in the sensation of pain. As conventional analgesics are often associated with serious side-effects, cannabinoids and agonists of their receptors offer a useful alternative or coanalgesic in the treatment of pain. The aim of this work is to summarize the role of cannabinoids and their receptors in nociception and pain treatment.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2991928/

“Cannabinoids seem to be effective against neuropathic pain, inflammatory pain, post-operative pain and cancer pain. Their use as analgesics or coanalgesics may offer a useful alterative option for pain management in clinical practice.” http://www.annals-general-psychiatry.com/content/9/S1/S232/abstract

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

Anti-aversive role of the endocannabinoid system in the periaqueductal gray stimulation model of panic attacks in rats.

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“Direct activation of the cannabinoid CB1 receptor in the dorsolateral periaqueductal gray (dlPAG) inhibits anxiety- and panic-related behaviours in experimental animals. It has remained unclear, however, whether the local endocannabinoid signalling is recruited as a protective mechanism against aversive stimuli.

The present study tested the hypothesis that the endocannabinoid system counteracts aversive responses in the dlPAG-stimulation model of panic attacks…

The endocannabinoid system in the dlPAG attenuates the behavioural, cellular and cardiovascular consequences of aversive stimuli. This process may be considered for the development of additional treatments against panic and other anxiety-related disorders.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25388290

http://www.thctotalhealthcare.com/category/panic-attack/