The Highs and Lows of the Endocannabinoid System—Another Piece to the Epilepsy Puzzle?

“Cannabis extracts have been used for the treatment of epilepsy for centuries. Yet, until recently, this empirical use was not linked to a known mechanism of action. Of the two main and most frequently investigated compounds derived from the cannabis plant, the mechanism of action of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is relatively clear and well documented (via CB1R distributed mainly centrally and CB2R distributed mainly peripherally). The components of endocannabinoid system (ECS) are omnipresent in our bodies and have very divergent roles. Modulating ECS may have therapeutic potential in many human maladies, including psychiatric disorders (e.g., depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, anxiety, or schizophrenia), neurologic conditions, including epilepsy and neurodegenerative processes, diabetes and its complications, obesity, pain management, cancer treatment, graft versus host disease, treatment of chemotherapy side effects, and so on. The list is long, and it is constantly growing. We investigated changes in the endocannabinoid system and glucose metabolism during temporal lobe epileptogenesis.

This study provides unique evidence that the CB1R is dynamically and progressively involved from the start of mesial temporal lobe epileptogenesis.”

http://epilepsycurrents.org/doi/10.5698/1535-7597.18.5.315
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Impact of recreational and medicinal marijuana on surgical patients: A review.

“As medicinal and recreational marijuana use broadens across the United States, knowledge of its effects on the body will become increasingly important to all health care providers, including surgeons.

DATA SOURCES:

We performed a literature review of Pubmed for articles discussing the basic science related to cannabinoids, as well as articles regarding cannabinoid medications, and cannabis use in surgical patients.

CONCLUSIONS:

The primary components in the cannabis plant, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD), have been made available in numerous forms and formulations to treat multiple medical conditions, and recreational access to marijuana is increasing. Of particular importance to the surgeon may be their effects on prolonging intestinal motility, decreasing inflammation, increasing hunger, mitigating pain, and reducing nausea and vomiting. Perioperative use of medicinal or recreational marijuana will become increasingly prevalent, and the surgeon should be aware of the positive and negative effects of these cannabinoids.” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30471810 https://www.americanjournalofsurgery.com/article/S0002-9610(18)31123-1/fulltext]]>

The protective effects of Δ9 -tetrahydrocannabinol against inflammation and oxidative stress in rat liver with fructose-induced hyperinsulinemia.

Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology banner

“A large amount of fructose is metabolized in the liver and causes hepatic functional damage. Δ9 -tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is known as a therapeutic agent for clinical and experimental applications.

 

The study aims to investigate the effects of THC treatment on inflammation, lipid profiles and oxidative stress in rat liver with hyperinsulinemia.

 

According to the result, long-term and low-dose THC administration may reduce hyperinsulinemia and inflammation in rats to some extent.”

  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30427077 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/jphp.13042]]>

Cannabis Therapeutics and the Future of Neurology.

Image result for frontiers in integrative neuroscience “Neurological therapeutics have been hampered by its inability to advance beyond symptomatic treatment of neurodegenerative disorders into the realm of actual palliation, arrest or reversal of the attendant pathological processes. While cannabis-based medicines have demonstrated safety, efficacy and consistency sufficient for regulatory approval in spasticity in multiple sclerosis (MS), and in Dravet and Lennox-Gastaut Syndromes (LGS), many therapeutic challenges remain. This review will examine the intriguing promise that recent discoveries regarding cannabis-based medicines offer to neurological therapeutics by incorporating the neutral phytocannabinoids tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), cannabidiol (CBD), their acidic precursors, tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA) and cannabidiolic acid (CBDA), and cannabis terpenoids in the putative treatment of five syndromes, currently labeled recalcitrant to therapeutic success, and wherein improved pharmacological intervention is required: intractable epilepsy, brain tumors, Parkinson disease (PD), Alzheimer disease (AD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI)/chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). Current basic science and clinical investigations support the safety and efficacy of such interventions in treatment of these currently intractable conditions, that in some cases share pathological processes, and the plausibility of interventions that harness endocannabinoid mechanisms, whether mediated via direct activity on CB1 and CB2 (tetrahydrocannabinol, THC, caryophyllene), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPARγ; THCA), 5-HT1A (CBD, CBDA) or even nutritional approaches utilizing prebiotics and probiotics. The inherent polypharmaceutical properties of cannabis botanicals offer distinct advantages over the current single-target pharmaceutical model and portend to revolutionize neurological treatment into a new reality of effective interventional and even preventative treatment.” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30405366 https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnint.2018.00051/full
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