Endogenous cannabinoids (endocannabinoids) and their cannabinoid CB1 and CB2 receptors, are present from the early stages of gestation and play a number of vital roles for the developing organism. Although most of these data are collected from animal studies, a role for cannabinoid receptors in the developing human brain has been suggested, based on the detection of "atypically" distributed CB1...

Modulating the activity of the endocannabinoid system influences various gastrointestinal physiological and pathophysiological processes, and cannabinoid receptors as well as regulatory enzymes responsible for the synthesis or degradation of endocannabinoids representing potential targets to reduce the development of gastrointestinal mucosal lesions, hemorrhage and inflammation. Direct activati...

The CB1 cannabinoid receptor is a constitutively active receptor that can sequester G(i/o)-proteins and prevent other G(i/o)-coupled receptors from signaling (Bouaboula et al., 1997; Pan et al., 1998; Vasquez and Lewis, 1999). G-protein sequestration occurs because the population of CB1 cannabinoid receptors exists in both an inactive G-protein-precoupled RG(GDP) state and a constitutively acti...

Long-term cannabinoid administration produces region-dependent CB1 receptor desensitization and down-regulation. This study examined the time course for normalization of CB1 receptors and G-protein activation using 3H-labeled N-(piperidin-1-yl)-5-(4-chlorophenyl)-1-(2,4-dichlorophenyl)-4-methyl-1H-pyrazole-3-carboximide hydrochloride (SR141716A) and guanosine 5'-O-(3-[35S]thio)triphosphate ([35...

PURPOSE Preservation of the ocular surface barrier requires complex control of epithelial cell proliferation and inflammation mechanisms. The endocannabinoid system may be regulating these processes. Therefore, the authors explored the presence and properties of cannabinoid receptors (CB1 and CB2) in conjunctival epithelial cells. METHODS The authors used immunohistochemistry to detect CB1 an...

The amygdaloid complex (AK) has a very important role in the modulation of endocrine and visceral functions, in complex behavioral mechanisms such as defence, feeding, aggression, affects, reproduction, memory and learning. The aim of this study was to determine the precise distribution of cannabinoid CB1 receptors in the rat AK, using the immunohistochemical (ABC) method. According to our resu...

The endocannabinoid system is a regulatory pathway consisting of two main types of cannabinoid receptors (CB1 and CB2) and their endogenous ligands, the endocannabinoids. The CB1 receptor is highly expressed in the central and peripheral nervous systems (PNS) in mammalians and is involved in neuromodulatory functions. Since endocannabinoids were shown to be elevated in cerebrospinal fluid of ep...

Many US states now embrace the medical and recreational use of Cannabis. Changes in the laws have heightened interest and encouraged research into both cannabinoid products and the potential harms of Cannabis use, addiction, and intoxication. Some research into those harms will be reviewed here and misgivings about the use of Pregnenolone, to treat cannabis addiction and intoxication explained....

Recent studies have addressed the changes in endocannabinoid ligands and receptors that occur in multiple sclerosis, as a way to explain the efficacy of cannabinoid compounds to alleviate spasticity, pain, tremor, and other signs of this autoimmune disease. Using Lewis rats with experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), an animal model of multiple sclerosis, we recently found a decrease ...

The CB1 cannabinoid receptors modulate the addictive processes associated with different drugs of abuse, including psychostimulants. Mice lacking CB1 receptors exhibit an important attenuation of the reinforcing responses produced by cocaine in an operant self-administration paradigm. We have investigated the effect of chronic cocaine treatment on dendrite structure and spine density of the pri...