The cannabinoid system and immune modulation.

Klein Thomas W., et al.
Journal of leukocyte biology, 2003

Abstract

Studies on the effects of marijuana smoking have evolved into the discovery and description of the endocannabinoid system. To date, this system is composed of two receptors, CB1 and CB2, and endogenous ligands including anandamide, 2-arachidonoyl glycerol, and others. CB1 receptors and ligands are found in the brain as well as immune and other peripheral tissues. Conversely, CB2 receptors and ligands are found primarily in the periphery, especially in immune cells. Cannabinoid receptors are G protein-coupled receptors, and they have been linked to signaling pathways and gene activities in common with this receptor family. In addition, cannabinoids have been shown to modulate a variety of immune cell functions in humans and animals and more recently, have been shown to modulate T helper cell development, chemotaxis, and tumor development. Many of these drug effects occur through cannabinoid receptor signaling mechanisms and the modulation of cytokines and other gene products. It appears the immunocannabinoid system is involved in regulating the brain-immune axis and might be exploited in future therapies for chronic diseases and immune deficiency.

Articles similar to "The cannabinoid system and immune modulation."

• The properties of Cannabidiol: Medicinal Uses of Marijuana and Cannabinoids. (In the past two decades, there has been increasing interest in the therapeutic potential of cannabis and single cannabinoids, mainly cannabidiol (CBD) and delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)...)
• The properties of Cannabidiol: Cannabidiol Reduces Neuroinflammation and Promotes Neuroplasticity and Functional Recovery After Brain Ischemia. (This study investigated the effects of cannabidiol (CBD), a non-psychotomimetic phytochemical present in Cannabis sativa, on the cognitive and emotional impairments induced by bilateral common carotid artery occlusion (BCCAO) in mice...)
• The properties of Cannabidiol: Cannabis Therapeutics and the Future of Neurology. (Neurological therapeutics have been hampered by its inability to advance beyond symptomatic treatment of neurodegenerative disorders into the realm of actual palliation, arrest or reversal of the attendant pathological processes...)
• The properties of Cannabidiol: Nonpsychotropic cannabinoids, abnormal cannabidiol and canabigerol-dimethyl heptyl, act at novel cannabinoid receptors to reduce intraocular pressure. (The objective of our study was to examine the pharmacology of the intraocular pressure (IOP)-lowering actions of the behaviorally inactive cannabinoids, abnormal cannabidiol (abn-CBD), and a cannabigerol analog, cannabigerol-dimethyl heptyl (CBG-DMH), in comparison to that of the nonselective cannabinoid 1 receptor (CB(1)R) and CB(2)R agonist, WIN55,212-2, in Brown Norway rats...)
• The properties of Cannabidiol: Pharmacological data of cannabidiol- and cannabigerol-type phytocannabinoids acting on cannabinoid CB 1, CB 2 and CB 1/CB 2 heteromer receptors. ( Recent approved medicines whose active principles are Δ9Tetrahidrocannabinol (Δ9-THC) and/or cannabidiol (CBD) open novel perspectives for other phytocannabinoids also present in Cannabis sativa L... Results here reported and the recent elucidation of the three-dimensional structure of CB1 and CB2 receptors help understanding the mechanism of action that might be protective and the molecular drug-receptor interactions underlying biased signaling. )
• The properties of Cannabidiol: Analysis of cannabinoids in commercial hemp seed oil and decarboxylation kinetics studies of cannabidiolic acid (CBDA). (Hemp seed oil from Cannabis sativa L... Results here reported and the recent elucidation of the three-dimensional structure of CB1 and CB2 receptors help understanding the mechanism of action that might be protective and the molecular drug-receptor interactions underlying biased signaling. )
• The properties of Cannabidiol: Cannabis sativa: Much more beyond Δ 9-tetrahydrocannabinol. (Cannabis is the most used illicit drug worldwide and its medicinal use is under discussion, being regulated in several countries... Results here reported and the recent elucidation of the three-dimensional structure of CB1 and CB2 receptors help understanding the mechanism of action that might be protective and the molecular drug-receptor interactions underlying biased signaling. )
• The properties of Cannabidiol: Molecular Pharmacology of Phytocannabinoids. (Cannabis sativa has been used for recreational, therapeutic and other uses for thousands of years... Results here reported and the recent elucidation of the three-dimensional structure of CB1 and CB2 receptors help understanding the mechanism of action that might be protective and the molecular drug-receptor interactions underlying biased signaling. )
• The properties of Cannabidiol: A systematic review of minor phytocannabinoids with promising neuroprotective potential. (Embase and PubMed were systematically searched for articles addressing the neuroprotective properties of phytocannabinoids, apart from cannabidiol (CBD) and Δ⁹ -tetrahydrocannabinol, including Δ⁹ -tetrahydrocannabinolic acid, Δ⁹ -tetrahydrocannabivarin, cannabidiolic acid (CBDA), cannabidivarin (CBDV), cannabichromene (CBC), cannabichromenic acid (CBCA), cannabichromevarin (CBCV), cannabigerol (CBG), cannabigerolic acid (CBGA), cannabigerivarin (CBGV), cannabigerovarinic acid, cannabichromevarinic acid (CBCVA), cannabidivarinic acid (CBDVA), and cannabinol (CBN)... Results here reported and the recent elucidation of the three-dimensional structure of CB1 and CB2 receptors help understanding the mechanism of action that might be protective and the molecular drug-receptor interactions underlying biased signaling. )
• The properties of Cannabidiol: Pharmacology of cannabinoids in the treatment of epilepsy. (The use of cannabis products in the treatment of epilepsy has long been of interest to researchers and clinicians alike; however, until recently very little published data were available to support its use... Results here reported and the recent elucidation of the three-dimensional structure of CB1 and CB2 receptors help understanding the mechanism of action that might be protective and the molecular drug-receptor interactions underlying biased signaling. )
• The properties of Cannabidiol: Pharmacokinetics and metabolism of the plant cannabinoids, delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol, cannabidiol and cannabinol. (Increasing interest in the biology, chemistry, pharmacology, and toxicology of cannabinoids and in the development of cannabinoid medications necessitates an understanding of cannabinoid pharmacokinetics and disposition into biological fluids and tissues... Results here reported and the recent elucidation of the three-dimensional structure of CB1 and CB2 receptors help understanding the mechanism of action that might be protective and the molecular drug-receptor interactions underlying biased signaling. )
• The properties of Cannabidiol: Cannabidiol (CBD). (Cannabis sativa or Indian hemp (subfamily Cannaboideae of family Moraceae) is an annual herbaceous plant, native to central and western Asia, cultivated for medicinal properties and for hemp, which is a natural textile fiber... Results here reported and the recent elucidation of the three-dimensional structure of CB1 and CB2 receptors help understanding the mechanism of action that might be protective and the molecular drug-receptor interactions underlying biased signaling. )
• The properties of Cannabidiol: Exogenous cannabinoids as substrates, inhibitors, and inducers of human drug metabolizing enzymes: a systematic review. (Exogenous cannabinoids are structurally and pharmacologically diverse compounds that are widely used... Results here reported and the recent elucidation of the three-dimensional structure of CB1 and CB2 receptors help understanding the mechanism of action that might be protective and the molecular drug-receptor interactions underlying biased signaling. )
• The properties of Cannabidiol: Flavonoid glycosides and cannabinoids from the pollen of Cannabis sativa L. (Chemical investigation of the pollen grain collected from male plants of Cannabis sativa L... Results here reported and the recent elucidation of the three-dimensional structure of CB1 and CB2 receptors help understanding the mechanism of action that might be protective and the molecular drug-receptor interactions underlying biased signaling. )

Previous article

An Evidence-Based Review of Fat Modifying Supplemental Weight Loss Products.

Next article

Hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) seed oil: analytical and phytochemical characterization of the unsaponifiable fraction.