The cannabinoid type 2 receptor (CB2) has previously been implicated as a regulator of tumor growth, bone remodeling, and bone pain. However, very little is known about the role of the skeletal CB2 receptor in the regulation of osteoblasts and osteoclasts changes associated with breast cancer. Here we found that the CB2-selective agonists HU308 and JWH133 reduced the viability of a variety of p...

BACKGROUND Characterization of intrinsic and extrinsic factors regulating the self-renewal/division and differentiation of stem cells is crucial in determining embryonic stem (ES) cell fate. ES cells differentiate into multiple hematopoietic lineages during embryoid body (EB) formation in vitro, which provides an experimental platform to define the molecular mechanisms controlling germ layer fa...

Genetic and environmental factors contribute nearly in equal power to the development of alcoholism. Environmental factors, such as 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 sig...

The CB2 receptor is one of the components of the endogenous cannabinoid system, a complex network of signaling molecules and receptors involved in the homeostatic control of several physiological functions. Accumulated evidence suggests a role for CB2 receptors in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and indicates their potential as a therapeutic target against this neurodegenerative disease. Levels of CB2...

Marijuana is the most commonly abused drug in the United States.1 It mainly acts on cannabinoid receptors. There are two types of cannabinoid receptors in humans: cannabinoid receptor type 1 (CB1) and cannabinoid receptor type 2 (CB2). CB1 receptor activation is pro-atherogenic, and CB2 receptor activation is largely anti-atherogenic. Marijuana use is also implicated as a trigger for myocardial...

PURPOSE Cannabinoid receptors have been detected in neuron cells and proposed as potential therapeutic agents in neurodegenerative disorders because of their involvement in controlling neural cell survival and death. However, their presence and role in human retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells, which play a key role in initiating and developing age related macular degeneration (ARMD), have n...

Cannabinoid receptor subtype 2 (CB2) has been shown to be up-regulated in activated microglia and therefore plays an important role in neuroinflammatory and neurodegenerative diseases such as multiple sclerosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and Alzheimer's disease. The CB2 receptor is therefore considered as a very promising target for therapeutic approaches as well as for imaging. A promising...

JTE-907 [N-(benzo[1,3]dioxol-5-ylmethyl)-7-methoxy-2-oxo-8-pentyloxy-1,2-dihydroquinoline-3-carboxamide] was evaluated in vitro and in vivo as a novel selective ligand for cannabinoid receptor of peripheral type (CB2). The compound binds with high affinity to human CB2 or mouse CB2 expressed on CHO cell membrane and to rat CB2 on splenocytes. The K(i) affinities for human, mouse, and rat CB2 we...

Two types of cannabinoid receptor have so far been identified.1,2 These are the CB1 receptor, cloned in 1990,3 and the CB2 receptor, cloned in 1993,4 both of which are members of the superfamily of G-protein-coupled receptors. The cloning of these receptors prompted the development of mice from which cannabinoid CB1 and/or CB2 receptors have been genetically deleted and these transgenic animals...