Anandamide (arachidonoylethanolamine, AEA), an endogenous agonist for both the cannabinoid CB(1) receptor and the vanilloid VR1 receptor, elicits neurobehavioral, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, and proapoptotic effects. Because of the central role of nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) in the inflammatory process and the immune response, we postulated that AEA might owe some of its effects ...

Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) mediates inflammation and contributes to neurodegeneration. Best known for its pathological up-regulation, COX-2 is also constitutively expressed within the brain and mediates synaptic transmission through prostaglandin synthesis. Along with arachidonic acid, COX-2 oxygenates the endocannabinoids anandamide (AEA) and 2-arachidonoylglycerol in vitro. Inhibition of COX-2 ...

The endocannabinoids, anandamide (AEA) and 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG), are arachidonic acid (AA) derivatives that are known to regulate human cardiovascular functions. CYP2J2 is the primary cytochrome P450 in the human heart and is most well known for the metabolism of AA to the biologically active epoxyeicosatrienoic acids. In this study, we demonstrate that both 2-AG and AEA are substrates...

BACKGROUND Endogenous cannabinoid anandamide (AEA) protects neurons from oxidative injury in rodent models; however the mechanism of AEA-induced neuroprotection remains to be determined. Activation of neuronal NADPH oxidase 2 (Nox2) contributes to oxidative damage of the brain, and inhibition of Nox2 can attenuate cerebral oxidative stress. We aimed to determine whether the neuronal Nox2 was in...

Endogenous cannabinoids [endocannabinoids] are lipid signaling molecules that have been shown to modulate immune functions. However, their role in the regulation of Th17 cells has not been studied previously. In the current study, we used methylated Bovine Serum Albumin [mBSA]-induced delayed type hypersensitivity [DTH] response in C57BL/6 mice, mediated by Th17 cells, as a model to test the an...

UNLABELLED Anterior ethmoidal artery (AEA) ligation may be necessary in cases of severe epistaxis not controllable with traditional therapy. Endoscopic endonasal ligation of the AEA is not used frequently; there are few studies in the literature for standardization of the endoscopic technique for this vessel. AIM To demonstrate the feasibility of periorbital AEA ligation in a transethmoidal e...

Previous studies have provided extensive evidence that administration of cannabinoid drugs after training modulates the consolidation of memory for an aversive experience. The present experiments investigated whether the memory consolidation is regulated by endogenously released cannabinoids. The experiments first examined whether the endocannabinoids anandamide (AEA) and 2-arachidonoyl glycero...

Endocrine-disrupting chemicals with estrogenic activity (EA) or anti-EA (AEA) have been extensively reported to possibly have many adverse health effects. We have developed robotized assays using MCF-7:WS8 cell proliferation (or suppression) to detect EA (or AEA) of 78 test substances supplied by the Interagency Coordinating Committee on the Validation of Alternative Methods and the National To...

Endocannabinoids can affect multiple cellular targets, such as cannabinoid (CB) receptors, transient receptor potential cation channel, subfamily V, member 1 (TRPV1) and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ). The stimuli to induce adipocyte differentiation in hBM-MSCs increase the gene transcription of the CB1 receptor, TRPV1 and PPARγ. In this study, the effects of three endocan...