Tag Archives: treatment

Parental reporting of response to oral cannabis extracts for treatment of refractory epilepsy.

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“Oral cannabis extracts (OCEs) have been used in the treatment of epilepsy; however, no studies demonstrate clear efficacy. We report on a cohort of pediatric patients with epilepsy who were given OCE and followed in a single tertiary epilepsy center…

Seventy-five patients were identified of which 57% reported any improvement in seizure control and 33% reported a >50% reduction in seizures (responders).

Our retrospective study of OCE use in pediatric patients with epilepsy demonstrates that some families reported patient improvement with treatment;

We strongly support the need for controlled, blinded studies to evaluate the efficacy and safety of OCE for treatment of pediatric epilepsies using accurate seizure counts, formal neurocognitive assessments, as well as EEG as a biomarker.

This study provides Class III evidence that OCE is well tolerated by children and adolescents with epilepsy.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25845492

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

 

Activation of Cannabinoid CB2 receptors Reduces Hyperalgesia in an Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis Mouse Model of Multiple Sclerosis.

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“Clinical trials investigating the analgesic efficacy of cannabinoids in multiple sclerosis have yielded mixed results, possibly due to psychotropic side effects mediated by cannabinoid CB1 receptors. We hypothesized that a CB2-specific agonist (JWH-133) would decrease hyperalgesia in an experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis mouse model of multiple sclerosis…

Our results suggest that JWH-133 acts at CB2 receptors, most likely within the dorsal horn of the spinal cord, to suppress the hypersensitivity associated with experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis.

These are the first pre-clinical studies to directly promote CB2 as a promising target for the treatment of central pain in an animal model of multiple sclerosis.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25849525

Efficacy of Inhaled Cannabis on Painful Diabetic Neuropathy.

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“A randomized, double-blinded, placebo controlled crossover study was conducted in 16 patients with painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy to assess the short-term efficacy and tolerability of inhaled cannabis.

In a cross-over design, each participant was exposed to a single dosing session of placebo, low (1% tetrahydrocannabinol, THC), medium (4% THC), or high (7% THC) doses of cannabis…

This small, short-term, placebo-controlled trial of inhaled cannabis demonstrated a dose dependent reduction in diabetic peripheral neuropathy pain in patients with treatment-refractory pain.

This adds preliminary evidence to support further research on the efficacy of the cannabinoids in neuropathic pain.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25843054

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

Increased Cerebral Cannabinoid-1 Receptor Availability Is a Stable Feature of Functional Dyspepsia: A [F]MK-9470 PET Study.

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“Functional dyspepsia (FD) is a prevalent functional gastrointestinal disorder (FGID) defined by chronic epigastric symptoms in the absence of organic abnormalities likely to explain them. Comorbidity with mood and anxiety disorders as well as with other FGIDs and functional somatic syndrome (FSS) is high. FD is characterized by abnormal regional cerebral activity in cognitive/affective pain modulatory circuits, but it is unknown which neurotransmitter systems are involved.

The authors aimed to assess and compare in vivo cerebral cannabinoid-1 (CB1) receptor availability between FD patients and age-, gender- and BMI-matched healthy controls (HC).

FD patients had significantly higher CB1 receptor availability in the cerebral regions involved in (visceral) nociception (brainstem, insula, anterior cingulate cortex) as well as in the homeostatic and hedonic regulation of food intake [hypothalamus, (ventral) striatum]….

Although these findings need replication in larger samples, they suggest that the abnormal brain activity in several of these regions, previously demonstrated in FD, may be due to a sustained endocannabinoid system dysfunction, identifying it as a potential novel target for treatment and warranting further studies to elucidate whether it is also a feature of other FGIDs or FSSs.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25833408

Inhibiting endocannabinoid biosynthesis: a novel approach to the treatment of constipation.

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“Endocannabinoids are a family of lipid mediators that are involved in the regulation of gastrointestinal (GI) motility. The expression, localization and function of their biosynthetic enzymes in the GI tract are not well understood.

Here we examined the expression, localization and function of the enzyme diacylglycerol lipase (DAGLα), involved in the biosynthesis of the endocannabinoid 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG).

Cannabinoid (CB)1-deficient, wildtype control and C3H/HeJ mice, a genetically constipated model, were used…

DAGLα is expressed in the enteric nervous system and its inhibition reverses slowed GI motility, intestinal contractility and constipation through 2-AG and CB1 receptor mediated mechanisms.

Our data suggest that DAGLα inhibitors may be promising candidates for the treatment of constipation.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25684407

Renal Effects of Chronic Pharmacological Manipulation of CB2 in Rats with Diet Induced Obesity.

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“In diabetic nephropathy CB2 agonism reduces albuminuria and podocyte loss; however the role of CB2 in obesity-related nephropathy is unknown. The aim of this study was to determine the role of CB2 in a model of diet-induced obesity (DIO)…

This study demonstrates that while agonism of CB2 with AM1241 treatment for six weeks does not reduce weight gain in obese rats, it leads to improvements in obesity related renal dysfunction.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25537025

“Alexandros Makriyannis is a professor in the Department of Medicinal Chemistry at Northeastern University, where his research group has synthesized many new compounds with cannabinoid activity.

Chronic administration with AM251 improves albuminuria and renal tubular structure in obese rats.

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“Modulation of the endocannabinoid system as an anti-obesity therapeutic is well established, however the direct effects of CB1 antagonism on renal function and structure in a model of diet-induced obesity (DIO) are unknown. The aim of this study was to characterise the renal effects of the CB1 antagonist AM251 in a model of DIO.

Antagonism of CB1 with AM251 significantly reduced weight gain, systolic blood pressure, plasma leptin, and reduced albuminuria and plasma creatinine levels in obese rats.

Importantly, there was a significant reduction in tubular cross-section diameter in the obese rats treated with AM251. An improvement in albuminuria was likely due to the reduction in tubular size, reduced leptinemia and maintenance of megalin expression levels. In obese rats, AM251 did not alter diastolic blood pressure, sodium excretion, creatinine clearance or expression of the fibrotic proteins VEGF, TGFb1 and collagen IV in the kidney.

This study demonstrates that treatment with CB1 antagonist AM251 improves renal outcomes in obese rats.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25804605

“Alexandros Makriyannis is a professor in the Department of Medicinal Chemistry at Northeastern University, where his research group has synthesized many new compounds with cannabinoid activity… AM-251 — an inverse agonist at the CB1 cannabinoid receptor that is structurally related to SR141716A (rimonabant), but has a higher binding affinity with a Ki value of 7.5nM.”  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_AM_cannabinoids

Interaction of cannabinoid receptor 2 and social environment modulates chronic alcohol consumption.

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“Genetic and environmental factors contribute nearly with equal power to the development of alcoholism. Environmental factors, like negative life events or emotionally disruptive conditions initiate and promote alcohol drinking and relapse.

The endocannabinoid system is involved in hedonic control and modulates stress reactivity. Furthermore, chronic alcohol drinking alters endocannabinoid signalling, which in turn influences the stress reactivity.

Recently it has been shown that CB2 receptor activity influences stress sensitivity and alcohol drinking. We hypothesised that CB2 receptors influence the impact of environmental risk factors on alcohol preference and consumption. Therefore, in this study we investigated the alcohol-drinking pattern of wild type and CB2 deficient animals under single and group housing conditions using different alcohol drinking models, like forced drinking, intermittent forced drinking and two-bottle choice paradigms.

Our data showed that CB2 receptor modulates alcohol consumption and reward.

Interestingly, we detected that lack of CB2 receptors led to increased alcohol drinking in the intermittent forced drinking paradigm under group housing conditions.

Furthermore, we found that CB2 knockout mice consumed more food and that their body weight gain was modulated by social environment.

On the base of these data, we conclude that social environment critically affects the modulatory function of CB2 receptors especially in alcohol intake.

These findings suggest that a treatment strategy targeting CB2 receptors may have a beneficial effect on pathologic drinking particularly in situations of social stress and discomfort.”

Drugs of abuse and parkinson’s disease.

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“The term “drug of abuse” is highly contextual. What constitutes a drug of abuse for one population of patients does not for another. It is therefore important to examine the needs of the patient population to properly assess the status of drugs of abuse. The focus of this article is on the bidirectional relationship between patients and drug abuse. In this paper we will introduce the dopaminergic systems of the brain in Parkinson’s and the influence of antiparkinsonian drugs upon them before discussing this synergy of condition and medication as fertile ground for drug abuse. We will then examine the relationship between drugs of abuse and Parkinson’s, both beneficial and deleterious. In summary we will draw the different strands together and speculate on the future merit of current drugs of abuse as treatments for Parkinson’s disease.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25816790

http://www.thctotalhealthcare.com/category/parkinsons-disease/

New Approaches in the Design and Development of Cannabinoid Receptor Ligands: Multifunctional and Bivalent Compounds.

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“Since the identification of the endocannabinoid system, two G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) of this complex system were identified and characterized: cannabinoid receptors type 1 (CB1R) and type 2 (CB2R).

In addition to orthosteric and subsequently allosteric ligands, new strategies have been used to target CBRs.

Bivalent ligands and multifunctional ligands acting at diverse biological targets have been designed, synthesized, and characterized for both CBRs. Due to their altered receptor binding and pharmacological profiles, they are interesting tools to explore CBR functions and their interactions with other physiological systems.

Moreover, this approach may bear therapeutic advantages in the therapy of CBR-related disorders, especially multifactorial diseases.

Promising prospects include anorectics with fewer side effects, analgesics with decreased tolerance, and therapeutics with multiple pharmacological activities for the treatment of cancer, inflammation, multiple sclerosis, Huntington’s and Alzheimer’s diseases.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25820617