Search results for "Cannabinoid"

Alcohol, Cannabinoids and Nicotine in liver pathophysiology

2017

The liver can be affected by a wide range of therapeutic and environmental chemicals and here we want to provide a summary of the complex effects of alcohol, cannabinoids and nicotine on liver function. Alcohol is the most important agent that produces liver injury, manifesting as alcoholic fatty liver disease. In addition, it is one of the main etiologic agents for hepatocellular carcinoma development. Studies reviewed in this article regarding cannabinoids, show that Δ9-THC does not produce any harmful effects on the liver, while cannabidiol has hepatoprotective effects in ischemia/reperfusion and alcohol-induced liver injuries. The liver is negatively affected by nicotine exposure, but s…

Ruolo citotossico del cannabinoide sintetico WIN55,212-2 in cellule di osteosarcoma MG63: coinvolgimento della proteina SPARC.

Il cannabinoide sintetico WIN 55,212-2 è un potente agonista sintetico del recettore per i cannabinoidi con spiccate potenzialità antitumorali. Gli esperimenti riportati in questa tesi sono stati condotti per delineare gli effetti indotti dal WIN sulla proliferazione, la migrazione e la sensibilizzazione alla morte indotta dalla citochina TRAIL in cellule di osteosarcoma umano MG63. I risultati ottenuti mostrano che il WIN induce un blocco del ciclo cellulare in fase G2/M che è associato all’induzione dei principali markers di ER stress (GRP78, CHOP e TRB3). Nelle cellule trattate abbiamo inoltre osservato la conversione della forma citosolica del marker autofagosomale LC3-I in LC3-II (la f…

Age-related changes in the endocannabinoid system in the mouse hippocampus.

2015

Previous studies have demonstrated that the endocannabinoid system significantly influences the progression of brain ageing, and the hippocampus is one of the brain regions most vulnerable to ageing and neurodegeneration. We have further examined age-related changes in the hippocampal endocannabinoid system by measuring the levels of anandamide (AEA) and 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) in young and old mice from two different mouse strains. We found a decrease in 2-AG but not AEA levels in aged mice. In order to identify the cause for 2-AG level changes, we investigated the levels of several enzymes that contribute to synthesis and degradation of 2-AG in the hippocampus. We found a selective …

Activation of adipose tissue cannabinoid receptors 1 (CB1R) alters antilipolytic action of insulin and increases lipolysis in mice

2014

Hardwiring the Brain: Endocannabinoids Shape Neuronal Connectivity

2007

The roles of endocannabinoid signaling during central nervous system development are unknown. We report that CB 1 cannabinoid receptors (CB 1 Rs) are enriched in the axonal growth cones of γ-aminobutyric acid–containing (GABAergic) interneurons in the rodent cortex during late gestation. Endocannabinoids trigger CB 1 R internalization and elimination from filopodia and induce chemorepulsion and collapse of axonal growth cones of these GABAergic interneurons by activating RhoA. Similarly, endocannabinoids diminish the galvanotropism of Xenopus laevis spinal neurons. These findings, together with the impaired target selection of cortical GABAergic interneurons lacking CB 1 Rs, identify endoc…

CB1 Cannabinoid Receptors and Aggression

2016

Abstract The relation between the use of cannabis and violent behavior is controversial, partly owing to the complexity of the concept of aggression and variability among the studies performed. The primary psychoactive compound of cannabis, Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol, acts on G-protein-coupled receptors such as the cannabinoid type 1 (CB1) receptor, the most important of the endocannabinoid system. Although historically suspected of instigating aggressive behaviors, the findings of research about cannabis use in humans are mixed. While cannabis intoxication seems to reduce the likelihood of violence, mounting evidence associates withdrawal with an increase in aggression. Acute or chronic canna…

Exercise, the endocannabinoid system and metabolic health

2013

As obesity and associated metabolic disorders, such as type 2 diabetes and dyslipidemia, are becoming one of the most serious health problems worldwide, development of effective therapies is a high priority. In the search for treatments, the recently discovered endocannabinoid system (ECS) has begun to garner attention, and a wealth of research is now focusing on this unique neuromodulatory system named after the plant that led to its discovery. The ECS consists of G protein-coupled cannabinoid receptors (CB1 and CB2), their endogenous lipid-derived ligands (endocannabinoids, N-arachidonoylethanolamine, named anandamide (AEA) and 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG)) and the enzymes for ligand syn…

Exercise-induced euphoria and anxiolysis do not depend on endogenous opioids in humans

2021

Abstract A runner's high describes a sense of well-being during endurance exercise characterized by euphoria and anxiolysis. It has been a widespread belief that the release of endogenous opioids, such as endorphins, underlie a runner's high. However, exercise leads to the release of two classes of rewarding molecules, endocannabinoids (eCBs) and opioids. In mice, we have shown that core features of a runner's high depend on cannabinoid receptors but not opioid receptors. In the present study, we aimed to corroborate in humans that endorphins do not play a significant role in the underlying mechanism of a runner's high. Thus, we investigated whether the development of two core features of a…

2021

White adipose tissue (WAT) possesses the endocannabinoid system (ECS) machinery and produces the two major endocannabinoids (ECs), arachidonoylethanolamide (AEA) and 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG). Accumulating evidence indicates that WAT cannabinoid 1 receptors (CB1R) are involved in the regulation of fat storage, tissue remodeling and secretory functions but their role in controlling lipid mobilization is unclear. In the present study, we used different strategies to acutely increase ECS activity in WAT and tested the consequences on glycerol production as a marker of lipolysis. Treating lean mice or rat WAT explants with JLZ195, which inhibits ECs degrading enzymes, induced an increase in…

Impaired border zone formation and adverse remodeling after reperfused myocardial infarction in cannabinoid CB2 receptor deficient mice.

2014

Abstract Aims Reperfusion of myocardial infarction is associated with inflammatory reaction and subsequent myocardial remodeling with a rapid scar formation in mice. The cannabinoid receptor CB2 has been associated with cardioprotection and regulation of macrophage function. We investigated its role in remodeling of reperfused infarction. Main methods One hour LAD-occlusion was followed by reperfusion over 6 h and 1, 3 and 7 days in wild-type C57/BL6J (WT) and CB2 receptor-deficient (Cnr2 −/− ) mice (n = 8/group). Hearts were processed for functional, morphological and mRNA/protein analysis, and tissue concentration of endocannabinoids was determined using liquid chromatography-multiple rea…