Beyond THC and Endocannabinoids

Research in the cannabinoid field, namely on phytocannabinoids, the endogenous cannabinoids anandamide and 2-arachidonoyl glycerol and their metabolizing and synthetic enzymes, the cannabinoid receptors, and anandamide-like cannabinoid compounds, has expanded tremendously over the last few years. Nu...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inAnnual review of pharmacology and toxicology Vol. 60; no. 1; pp. 637 - 659
Main Authors Pacher, Pal, Kogan, Natalya M, Mechoulam, Raphael
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States Annual Reviews 06.01.2020
Subjects
anandamide
cannabidiol
cannabinoid receptors
entourage effect
long-chain fatty acid amides
cannabidiol
long-chain fatty acid amides
cannabinoid receptors
anandamide
entourage effect
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Summary:Research in the cannabinoid field, namely on phytocannabinoids, the endogenous cannabinoids anandamide and 2-arachidonoyl glycerol and their metabolizing and synthetic enzymes, the cannabinoid receptors, and anandamide-like cannabinoid compounds, has expanded tremendously over the last few years. Numerous endocannabinoid-like compounds have been discovered. The Cannabis plant constituent cannabidiol (CBD) was found to exert beneficial effects in many preclinical disease models ranging from epilepsy, cardiovascular disease, inflammation, and autoimmunity to neurodegenerative and kidney diseases and cancer. CBD was recently approved in the United States for the treatment of rare forms of childhood epilepsy. This has triggered the development of many CBD-based products for human use, often with overstated claims regarding their therapeutic effects. In this article, the recently published research on the chemistry and biological effects of plant cannabinoids (specifically CBD), endocannabinoids, certain long-chain fatty acid amides, and the variety of relevant receptors is critically reviewed.
ISSN:0362-1642
1545-4304
DOI:10.1146/annurev-pharmtox-010818-021441