Recent advances in cannabis research have led to the conclusion that many of the characteristic effects of cannabis are mediated by cannabinoid receptors. It is the purpose of this article to review the evidence for the existence of such receptors by considering the extent to which the putative cannabinoid receptor satisfies a set of interrelated criteria that have often been used in the past t...

Synthetic cannabinoids are becoming increasingly popular as substances of abuse. However, in the Netherlands synthetic cannabinoid intoxications are rare. We report a 16-year-old male who became deeply comatose and was admitted to the intensive care unit for invasive mechanical ventilation after a buse of aninitially unknown drug. Routine toxicology screening with an immunoassay only detected t...

Anti-inflammatory and anti-nociceptive properties of endocannabinoids and synthetic cannabinoid compounds were described previously. We studied effects of the endogenous cannabinoid anandamide (N-arachidonylethanolamine) in experimental colitis induced by TNBS (2,4,6-trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid) in AKR mice. A scoring system was used to describe clinical and macroscopic changes. Intraperitone...

Endogenous cannabinoid signaling pathways have been implicated in protection of the brain from hypoxia, ischemia, and trauma, but the mechanism for these protective effects is uncertain. We found that in CB1 cannabinoid receptor knock-out mice, mortality from permanent focal cerebral ischemia was increased, infarct size and neurological deficits after transient focal cerebral ischemia were more...

Cannabinoid agonists impair hippocampus-dependent learning and memory. Using mouse hippocampal slice preparations, we examined the effect of anandamide, an endogenous cannabinoid, on sharp wave-ripple (SW-R) complexes, which are believed to mediate memory consolidation during slow-wave sleep or behavioral immobility. Anandamide reduced the frequency of SW-Rs recorded from the CA3 region, and th...

Traumatic brain injury can cause persistent challenges including problems with learning and memory. Previous studies suggest that the activation of the cannabinoid 1 receptor after a traumatic brain injury could be beneficial. We tested the hypothesis that posttraumatic brain injury administration of a cannabinoid 1 receptor agonist can rescue deficits in learning and memory. Young adult male r...

Many patients with chronic medical illnesses use cannabinoids. There are two FDA-approved cannabinoid products, whereas medical marijuana purchased at legal dispensaries is not FDA regulated and may contain uncertain concentrations of various compounds. Cannabinoids have shown efficacy in treating chemotherapy-related nausea and vomiting, poor appetite in advanced HIV, some pain states, and mul...

Research into the pharmacology of individual cannabinoids that began in the 1940s, several decades after the presence of a cannabinoid was first detected in cannabis, is concisely reviewed. Also described is how this pharmacological research led to the discovery of cannabinoid CB(1) and CB(2) receptors and of endogenous ligands for these receptors, to the development of CB(1)- and CB(2)-selecti...

New 1-benzhydryl-3-phenylurea derivatives and their 1-benzhydryl-3-phenylthiourea isosteres were synthesized and evaluated for their human CB1 and CB2 cannabinoid receptor affinity. These compounds proved to be selective CB1 cannabinoid receptor ligands, acting as inverse agonists in a [35S]-GTPgammaS assay. The affinity of 3,5,5'-triphenylimidazolidine-2,4-dione and 3,5,5'-triphenyl-2-thioxoim...

CB1 and CB2 cannabinoid receptors are the primary targets of endogenous cannabinoids (endocannabinoids). These G protein-coupled receptors play an important role in many processes, including metabolic regulation, craving, pain, anxiety, bone growth, and immune function. Cannabinoid receptors can be engaged directly by agonists or antagonists, or indirectly by manipulating endocannabinoid metabo...