Tag Archives: treatment

CB1 cannabinoid receptor antagonist attenuates left ventricular hypertrophy and Akt-mediated cardiac fibrosis in experimental uremia.

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“Cannabinoid receptor type 1 (CB1R) plays an important role in the development of myocardial hypertrophy and fibrosis-2 pathological features of uremic cardiomyopathy. However, it remains unknown whether CB1R is involved in the pathogenesis of uremic cardiomyopathy.

Here, we aimed to elucidate the role of CB1R in the development of uremic cardiomyopathy via modulation of Akt signalling…

CB1R inhibition exerts anti-fibrotic effects via modulation of Akt signaling in H9c2 myofibroblasts.

Therefore, the development of drugs targeting CB1R may have therapeutic potential in the treatment of uremic cardiomyopathy.”

Cannabidiol causes endothelium-dependent vasorelaxation of human mesenteric arteries via CB1 activation.

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“The protective effects of cannabidiol (CBD) have been widely shown in preclinical models and have translated into medicines for the treatment of multiple sclerosis and epilepsy. However, the direct vascular effects of CBD in humans are unknown.

CONCLUSION:

This study shows, for the first time, that CBD causes vasorelaxation of human mesenteric arteries via activation of CB1 and TRP channels, and is endothelium- and nitric oxide-dependent.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26092099

The influence of cannabinoids on learning and memory processes of the dorsal striatum.

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“Extensive evidence indicates that the mammalian endocannabinoid system plays an integral role in learning and memory…

A tentative conclusion based on the available data is that acute disruption of the endocannabinoid system with either agonists or antagonists impairs, whereas chronic cannabinoid exposure enhances, dorsal striatum-dependent S-R/habit memory.

CB1 receptors are required for multiple forms of striatal synaptic plasticity implicated in memory, including short-term and long-term depression.

Interactions with the hippocampus-dependent memory system may also have a role in some of the observed effects of cannabinoids on habit memory.

The impairing effect often observed with acute cannabinoid administration argues for cannabinoid-based treatments for human psychopathologies associated with a dysfunctional habit memory system (e.g. post-traumatic stress disorder and drug addiction/relapse).”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26092091

No smoke, no fire: What the initial literature suggests regarding vapourized cannabis and respiratory risk

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“Given current limitations in developing an inhalant alternative for delivering cannabis medication, smoked marijuana remains the most readily accessible form of cannabis among medicinal users…

Cannabis actually served as an asthma treatment in the 1800s and, perhaps, in ancient times…

Informed health care professionals may consider making recommendations to their medicinal cannabis patients for vapourization of the plant, particularly for those who want the rapid relief that oral administration fails to provide.

It is not our intention to encourage inappropriate use of the plant, but to increase safety for those who choose to use it.

Vapourization of cannabis is likely less harmful than smoking.

Preliminary findings do support the idea that vapourization is an improvement over smoking.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4456813/

Emerging targets in treating pain.

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“Chronic pain poses an enormous socioeconomic burden for the more than 30% of people who suffer from it, costing over $600 billion per year in the USA. In recent years, there has been a surge in preclinical and clinical research endeavors to try to stem this epidemic. Preclinical studies have identified a wide array of potential targets, with some of the most promising translational research being performed on novel opioid receptors, cannabinoid receptors, selective ion channel blockers, cytokine inhibitors, nerve growth factor inhibitors, N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonists, glial cell inhibitors, and bisphosphonates.

SUMMARY:

There are many obstacles for the development of effective medications to treat chronic pain, including the inherent challenges in identifying pathophysiological mechanisms, the overlap and multiplicity of pain pathways, and off-target adverse effects stemming from the ubiquity of drug target receptor sites and the lack of highly selective receptor ligands. Despite these barriers, the number and diversity of potential therapies have continued to grow, to include disease-modifying and individualized drug treatments.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26087270

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

Pharmacologic effects of cannabidiol on acute reperfused myocardial infarction in rabbits: evaluated with 3.0T cardiac magnetic resonance imaging and histopathology.

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“Cannabidiol (CBD) has anti-inflammatory effects.

We explored its therapeutic effects on cardiac ischemia-reperfusion injury with an experimental imaging platform…

Compared to controls, CBD treatment improved systolic wall thickening, significantly increased blood flow in the AAR, significantly decreased microvascular obstruction, increased the PDR by 1.7-fold, lowered the AMI-core/AAR ratio, and increased the MSI.

These improvements were associated with reductions in serum cTnI, cardiac leukocyte infiltration, and myocellular apoptosis.

Thus, CBD therapy reduced AMI size and facilitated restoration of LV function.

We demonstrated that this experimental platform has potential theragnostic utility.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26065843

Effects of cannabinoids and their receptors on viral infections.

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“Cannabinoids, the active ingredient in marijuana, and their derivatives have received remarkable attention in the last two decades because they can affect tumor growth and metastasis.

There is a large body of evidence from in vivo and in vitro models showing that cannabinoids and their receptors influence the immune system, viral pathogenesis, and viral replication.

The present study reviews current insights into the role of cannabinoids and their receptors on viral infections.

The results reported here indicate that cannabinoids and their receptors have different sequels for viral infection.

Although activation or inhibition of cannabinoid receptors in the majority of viral infections are proper targets for development of safe and effective treatments, caution is required before using pharmaceutical cannabinoids as a treatment agent for patients with viral infections.”

Inhibition of human neutrophil chemotaxis by endogenous cannabinoids and phytocannabinoids: evidence for a site distinct from CB1 and CB2.

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“Here, we show a novel pharmacology for inhibition of human neutrophil migration by endocannabinoids, phytocannabinoids, and related compounds.

This study reveals that certain endogenous lipids, phytocannabinoids, and related ligands are potent inhibitors of human neutrophil migration, and it implicates a novel pharmacological target distinct from cannabinoid CB(1) and CB(2) receptors; this target is antagonized by the endogenous compound N-arachidonoyl l-serine.

Furthermore, our findings have implications for the potential pharmacological manipulation of elements of the endocannabinoid system for the treatment of various inflammatory conditions.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17965195

Very low doses of delta 8-THC increase food consumption and alter neurotransmitter levels following weight loss.

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“We have investigated the effect of 0.001 mg/kg delta(8)-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) on food consumption, cognitive function, and neurotransmitters in mice…

Cognitive function showed a tendency to improve in the THC-treated mice…

Delta(8)-THC increased food intake significantly more than did delta(9)-THC, while performance and activity were similar.

Thus, delta(8)-THC (0.001 mg/kg) caused increased food consumption and tendency to improve cognitive function, without cannabimimetic side effects.

Hence, a low dose of THC might be a potential therapeutic agent in the treatment of weight disorders.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15099912

A Cannabinoid CB1 Receptor Positive Allosteric Modulator Reduces Neuropathic Pain in the Mouse with no Psychoactive Effects.

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“The CB1 receptor represents a promising target for the treatment of several disorders including pain-related disease states.

However, therapeutic applications of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and other CB1 orthosteric receptor agonists remain limited because of psychoactive side effects. Positive allosteric modulators (PAMs) offer an alternative approach to enhance CB1 receptor function for therapeutic gain with the promise of reduced side effects…

These data suggest that ZCZ011 acts as a CB1 PAM and provide the first proof of principle that CB1 PAMs offer a promising strategy to treat neuropathic and inflammatory pain with minimal or no cannabimimetic side effects.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26052038