Delta(9)-Tetrahydrocannabinol (delta(9)-THC), the primary psychoactive constituent of marijuana (Cannabis sativa), is known to bind to two cannabinoid receptors: CB(1) receptors, located primarily in the brain, and CB(2) receptors, located primarily in the periphery. Recent research has suggested that other cannabinoids, including anandamide and WIN 55212-2, may also act at novel non-CB(1), non...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Endocannabinoids (via cannabinoid CB(1) receptor activation) are physiological regulators of intestinal motility and food intake. However, their role in the regulation of gastric emptying is largely unexplored. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the involvement of the endocannabinoid system in the regulation of gastric emptying in mice fed either a standa...

NATURAL LIPIDS HAVE RECENTLY BEEN PROPOSED TO BE INVOLVED IN THE REGULATION OF PHYSIOLOGIC FUNCTIONS IN THE CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM. For example, N-arachidonoyl ethanolamine (anandamide), an endogenous ligand for cannabinoids receptors, induces hypothermia, analgesia, sleep, and locomotor and memory deficits in vivo.1-4 Whereas 9-(Z)-octadecenamide (oleamide) promotes sleep, hypothermia, and alt...

It has previously been shown that the endocannabinoids anandamide and 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) inhibit the proliferation of C6 glioma cells in a manner that can be prevented by a combination of capsazepine (Caps) and cannabinoid (CB) receptor antagonists. It is not clear whether the effect of 2-AG is due to the compound itself, due to the rearrangement to form 1-arachidonoylglycerol (1-AG)...

We tested the hypothesis that an endogenous cannabinoid (CB) receptor agonist, such as N-arachidonylethanolamine (anandamide), is the transmitter that mediates perivascular sensory nerve-dependent Ca-induced relaxation. Rat mesenteric branch arteries were studied using wire myography; relaxation was determined after inducing contraction with norepinephrine. Cumulative addition of Ca caused dose...