Abstract Cannabis sativa has chemically active compounds called cannabinoids, where Δ9- tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and Cannabidiol (CBD) are the major ones responsible for the various pharmacological effects. The endocannabinoid system is an endogenous system considered a unique and widespread homeostatic physiological regulator. It is made up of type 1 (CB1) and type 2 (CB2) cannabinoid receptors. CBD, in turn, has a low affinity for CB1 and CB2 receptors, and regulates the effects arising from THC as a CB1 partial agonist, which are tachycardia, anxiety, and sedation. It also acts as a CB2 inverse agonist, resulting in anti-inflammatory effects. Furthermore, its anticonvulsant, neuroprotective, antipsychotic, antiemetic, anxiolytic,...

Abstract Inflammation often develops from acute, chronic, or auto-inflammatory disorders that can lead to compromised organ function. Cannabis (Cannabis sativa) has been used to treat inflammation for millennia, but its use in modern medicine is hampered by a lack of scientific knowledge. Previous studies report that cannabis extracts and inflorescence inhibit inflammatory responses in vitro and in pre-clinical and clinical trials. The endocannabinoid system (ECS) is a modulator of immune system activity, and dysregulation of this system is involved in various chronic inflammations. This system includes cannabinoid receptor types 1 and 2 (CB1 and CB2), arachidonic acid-derived endocannabinoids, and enzymes involved in endocannabinoid metabolism. Cannabis produces...

Abstract Due to differences in potency, efficacy, and affinity for CB1 receptors, similarities and differences in psychoactive effect profiles of natural cannabis and synthetic cannabinoids (SCs) cannot reliably be derived from equipotent dose comparisons. Instead, the current study proposes to compare the intrinsic psychoactive effects of natural cannabis (THC) and an SC, JWH-018, at psychotropic dose equivalence. Participants from two placebo-controlled studies were matched for their levels of subjective high to compare neurocognitive and psychotomimetic effects of THC and JWH-018. At equal subjective intoxication levels, both drugs impaired psychomotor, divided attention, and impulse control, with no significant difference between the two drugs. Both drugs...

Please use this link to access this publication Abstract Cannabinoid use has increased among aging individuals. However, little information on age-related differences in the behavioral effects of these agents is available. To explore potential differences in the behavioral effects of cannabinoids, we determined effects of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC, 1–10 mg/kg) or rimonabant (0.3–3.2 mg/kg) on operant fixed-ratio responding (FR10) for food in young adult (6 months) and aged (29 months) rats. THC dose-dependently decreased responding for food. Rimonabant alone had little or no effect on responding up to 1.0 mg/kg, but disrupted responding following a 3.2 mg/kg dose. Rimonabant (1.0 mg/kg) partially antagonized response disruption by THC. These effects were similar in young...

Abstract Background: In addition to the major phytocannabinoids, trans-Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC) and cannabidiol (CBD), the cannabis plant (Cannabis sativa L.) synthesizes over 120 additional cannabinoids that are known as minor cannabinoids. These minor cannabinoids have been proposed to act as agonists and antagonists at numerous targets including cannabinoid type 1 (CB1) and type 2 (CB2) receptors, transient receptor potential (TRP) channels and others. The goal of the present study was to determine the agonist effects of the minor cannabinoids: cannabinol (CBN), cannabigerol (CBG), cannabichromene (CBC), cannabitriol (CBT) and cannabidivarin (CBDV) at the CB1 receptor. In addition, the CB1 receptor antagonist effects of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabivarin (Δ9-THCV) were compared with its isomer...

Please use this link to access this publication. Abstract Introduction: Using nanoparticle (NP) drugs can have better effects on the target tissue in various diseases. Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is one of the degenerative neurological diseases that due to its high prevalence, requires the use of more appropriate treatments. Therefore, the aim of this study was consideration of the effect of cannabidiol (CBD) coated by nano-chitosan on learning and memory, hippocampal cannabinoid receptor type 1 (CB1) and cannabinoid receptor type 1 (CB2) levels, and amyloid plaques in an AD rat model. Material and Methods: Thirty-five male Wistar rats were randomly divided into 5 groups (n = 7 in each):...

Abstract Breast cancer is the most common malignancy in women worldwide. Sixty-five percent of breast cancers are estrogen and/or progesterone receptor positive. Estrogen receptor expression is a prognostic and predictive biomarker of response to endocrine therapy, which consists of the selective estrogen receptor modulator tamoxifen, aromatase inhibitors, and the selective estrogen receptor degrader fulvestrant. Cannabidiol is a phytocannabinoid that is emerging as a potential therapeutic agent. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of cannabidiol on estrogen receptor-positive and estrogen receptor-negative representative breast cancer cell lines in combination with standard therapeutic agents used in clinical practice. To compare the effects of cannabidiol on breast cancer cell viability, cancer cell lines were exposed to increasing concentrations...

Abstract Purpose Dry eye disease (DED) is a multifactorial disease, with limitations regarding efficacy and tolerability of applied substances. Among several candidates, the endocannabinoid system with its receptors (CB1R and CB2R) were reported to modulate inflammation, wound healing and pain, which are also core DED pathomechanisms. This study is to investigate the therapeutic responses of Δ-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (a non-selective agonist) and two selective antagonists, SR141716A (CB1R antagonist) and SR144528 (CB2R antagonist), as a topical application using a DED mouse model. Method Experimental DED was induced in naïve C57BL/6 mice. Expression of CBR at the ocular surface of naïve and DED mice was determined by qPCR and in-situ hybridization. Either THC or CBR antagonists were compounded in an aqueous solution...

Abstract The anxiolytic and antidepressant properties of cannabidiol (CBD) have been evaluated in several studies. However, the molecular mechanisms involved in these actions remain unclear. A total of 130 male mice were used. CBD’s ability to modulate emotional disturbances (anxiety and depressive-like behaviors) was evaluated at different doses in wild-type (CD1; 10, 20 and 30 mg/kg; i.p.) and knockout (CB1KO, CB2KO; GPR55KO; 20 mg/kg) mice. Moreover, CBD effects (20 mg/kg; i.p.) were evaluated in mice previously treated with the CB1r-antagonist SR141716A (2mg/kg; i.p.). Relative gene expression analyses of Cnr1 and Cnr2, Gpr55 and GABA(A)α2 and γ2 receptor subunits were performed in the amygdala (AMY)...

Abstract The endocannabinoid system has been shown to be involved in various skin functions, such as melanogenesis and the maintenance of redox balance in skin cells exposed to UV radiation, as well as barrier functions, sebaceous gland activity, wound healing and the skin’s immune response. In addition to the potential use of cannabinoids in the treatment and prevention of skin cancer, cannabinoid compounds and derivatives are of interest as potential systemic and topical applications for the treatment of various inflammatory, fibrotic and pruritic skin conditions. In this context, cannabinoid compounds have been successfully tested as a therapeutic option for the treatment of androgenetic alopecia,...