Excitotoxicity in a chronic model of multiple sclerosis: Neuroprotective effects of cannabinoids through CB1 and CB2 receptor activation

• Published in: Molecular and cellular neuroscience Vol. 34; no. 4; pp. 551 - 561
• Main Authors: Docagne, Fabian, Muñetón, Vilma, Clemente, Diego, Ali, Carine, Loría, Frida, Correa, Fernando, Hernangómez, Míriam, Mestre, Leyre, Vivien, Denis, Guaza, Carmen
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.04.2007
• Subjects: Animals; Axonal damage; Blotting, Western; Cannabinoids; Cannabinoids - therapeutic use; Demyelinating Diseases - pathology; Demyelinating Diseases - prevention & control; Disease Models, Animal; Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists - therapeutic use; Excitotoxicity; Female; Immunohistochemistry; Mice; Multiple sclerosis; Multiple Sclerosis, Chronic Progressive - drug therapy; Multiple Sclerosis, Chronic Progressive - pathology; Neuroprotective Agents - therapeutic use; Quinoxalines - therapeutic use; Receptor, Cannabinoid, CB1 - drug effects; Receptor, Cannabinoid, CB1 - metabolism; Receptor, Cannabinoid, CB2 - drug effects; Receptor, Cannabinoid, CB2 - metabolism; Spinal Cord - drug effects; Spinal Cord - pathology; TMEV; Multiple sclerosis; Cannabinoids; Axonal damage; TMEV; Excitotoxicity
• ISSN: 1044-7431; 1095-9327
• DOI: 10.1016/j.mcn.2006.12.005

Inflammation, autoimmune response, demyelination and axonal damage are thought to participate in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis (MS). Understanding whether axonal damage causes or originates from demyelination is a crucial issue. Excitotoxic processes may be responsible for white matter and axonal damage. Experimental and clinical studies indicate that cannabinoids could prove efficient in the treatment of MS. Using a chronic model of MS in mice, we show here that clinical signs and axonal damage in the spinal cord were reduced by the AMPA antagonist, NBQX. Amelioration of symptomatology by the synthetic cannabinoid HU210 was also accompanied by a reduction of axonal damage in this model. Moreover, HU210 reduced AMPA-induced excitotoxicity both in vivo and in vitro through the obligatory activation of both CB1 and CB2 cannabinoid receptors. Together, these data underline the implication of excitotoxic processes in demyelinating pathologies such as MS and the potential therapeutic properties of cannabinoids.