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Ye L, Wang B, Xu H, Zhang X. The Emerging Therapeutic Role of Prostaglandin E2 Signaling in Pulmonary Hypertension. Metabolites 2023; 13:1152. [PMID: 37999248 PMCID: PMC10672796 DOI: 10.3390/metabo13111152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2023] [Revised: 10/28/2023] [Accepted: 11/14/2023] [Indexed: 11/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Mild-to-moderate pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a common complication of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). It is characterized by narrowing and thickening of the pulmonary arteries, resulting in increased pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) and ultimately leading to right ventricular dysfunction. Pulmonary vascular remodeling in COPD is the main reason for the increase of pulmonary artery pressure (PAP). The pathogenesis of PH in COPD is complex and multifactorial, involving chronic inflammation, hypoxia, and oxidative stress. To date, prostacyclin and its analogues are widely used to prevent PH progression in clinical. These drugs have potent anti-proliferative, anti-inflammatory, and stimulating endothelial regeneration properties, bringing therapeutic benefits to the slowing, stabilization, and even some reversal of vascular remodeling. As another well-known and extensively researched prostaglandins, prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and its downstream signaling have been found to play an important role in various biological processes. Emerging evidence has revealed that PGE2 and its receptors (i.e., EP1-4) are involved in the regulation of pulmonary vascular homeostasis and remodeling. This review focuses on the research progress of the PGE2 signaling pathway in PH and discusses the possibility of treating PH based on the PGE2 signaling pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lan Ye
- Advanced Institute for Medical Sciences, Dalian Medical University, Dalian 116041, China;
| | - Bing Wang
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, The Central Hospital of Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116000, China;
| | - Hu Xu
- Health Science Center, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, China
| | - Xiaoyan Zhang
- Health Science Center, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, China
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2
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Kolousek A, Pak-Harvey E, Liu-Lam O, White M, Smith P, Henning F, Koval M, Levy JM. The Effects of Endogenous Cannabinoids on the Mammalian Respiratory System: A Scoping Review of Cyclooxygenase-Dependent Pathways. Cannabis Cannabinoid Res 2023; 8:434-444. [PMID: 37074668 PMCID: PMC10249741 DOI: 10.1089/can.2022.0277] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction: The endogenous cannabinoid (endocannabinoid) system is an emerging target for the treatment of chronic inflammatory disease with the potential to advance treatment for many respiratory illnesses. The varied effects of endocannabinoids across tissue types makes it imperative that we explore their physiologic impact within unique tissue targets. The aim of this scoping review is to explore the impact of endocannabinoid activity on eicosanoid production as a measure of human airway inflammation. Methods: A scoping literature review was conducted according to PRISMA-ScR (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews) guidelines. Search strategies using MeSH terms related to cannabinoids, eicosanoids, cyclooxygenase (COX), and the respiratory system were used to query Medline, Embase, Cochrane, CINAHL, Web of Science, and Biosis Previews in December 2021. Only studies that investigated the relationship between endocannabinoids and the eicosanoid system in mammalian respiratory tissue after 1992 were included. Results: Sixteen studies were incorporated in the final qualitative review. Endocannabinoid activation increases COX-2 expression, potentially through ceramide-dependent or p38 and p42/44 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase pathways and is associated with a concentration-dependent increase in prostaglandin (PG)E2. Inhibitors of endocannabinoid hydrolysis found either an increase or no change in levels of PGE2 and PGD2 and decreased levels of leukotriene (LT)B4, PGI2, and thromboxane A2 (TXA2). Endocannabinoids increase bronchial epithelial cell permeability and have vasorelaxant effects in human pulmonary arteries and cause contraction of bronchi and decreased gas trapping in guinea pigs. Inhibitors of endocannabinoid hydrolysis were found to have anti-inflammatory effects on pulmonary tissue and are primarily mediated by COX-2 and activation of eicosanoid receptors. Direct agonism of endocannabinoid receptors appears to play a minor role. Conclusion: The endocannabinoid system has diverse effects on the mammalian airway. While endocannabinoid-derived PGs can have anti-inflammatory effects, endocannabinoids also produce proinflammatory conditions, such as increased epithelial permeability and bronchial contraction. These conflicting findings suggest that endocannabinoids produce a variety of effects depending on their local metabolism and receptor agonism. Elucidation of the complex interplay between the endocannabinoid and eicosanoid pathways is key to leveraging the endocannabinoid system as a potential therapeutic target for human airway disease.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Oliver Liu-Lam
- Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Mia White
- Emory Libraries, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Prestina Smith
- Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine, Department of Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | | | - Michael Koval
- Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine, Department of Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Joshua M. Levy
- Department of Otolaryngology—Head & Neck Surgery, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
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Tang TYC, Kim JS, Das A. Role of omega-3 and omega-6 endocannabinoids in cardiopulmonary pharmacology. ADVANCES IN PHARMACOLOGY (SAN DIEGO, CALIF.) 2023; 97:375-422. [PMID: 37236765 DOI: 10.1016/bs.apha.2023.02.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/30/2023]
Abstract
Endocannabinoids are derived from dietary omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids and play an important role in regulation of inflammation, development, neurodegenerative diseases, cancer, and cardiovascular diseases. They elicit this effect via interactions with cannabinoid receptors 1 and 2 which are also targeted by plant derived cannabinoid from cannabis. The evidence of the involvement of the endocannabinoid system in cardiopulmonary function comes from studies that show that cannabis consumption leads to cardiovascular effect such as arrythmia and is beneficial in lung cancer patients. Moreover, omega-3 and omega-6 endocannabinoids play several important roles in cardiopulmonary system such as causing airway relaxation, suppressing atherosclerosis and hypertension. These effects are mediated via the cannabinoids receptors that are abundant in the cardiopulmonary system. Overall, this chapter reviews the known role of phytocannabinoids and endocannabinoids in the cardiopulmonary context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiffany Y-C Tang
- School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, College of Sciences. Georgia Institute of Technology, Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Biosciences, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Justin S Kim
- School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, College of Sciences. Georgia Institute of Technology, Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Biosciences, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Aditi Das
- School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, College of Sciences. Georgia Institute of Technology, Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Biosciences, Atlanta, GA, United States.
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4
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Simon A, von Einem T, Seidinger A, Matthey M, Bindila L, Wenzel D. The endocannabinoid anandamide is an airway relaxant in health and disease. Nat Commun 2022; 13:6941. [PMID: 36396957 PMCID: PMC9672354 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-34327-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2021] [Accepted: 10/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Chronic obstructive airway diseases are a global medical burden that is expected to increase in the near future. However, the underlying mechanistic processes are poorly understood so far. Herein, we show that the endocannabinoid anandamide (AEA) induces prominent airway relaxation in vitro and in vivo. In contrast to 2-arachidonlyglycerol-induced airway relaxation, this is mediated by fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH)-dependent metabolites. In particular, we identify mouse and also human epithelial and airway smooth muscle cells as source of AEA-induced prostaglandin E2 production and cAMP as direct mediator of AEA-dependent airway relaxation. Mass spectrometry experiments demonstrate reduced levels of endocannabinoid-like compounds in lungs of ovalbumin-sensitized mice indicating a pathophysiological relevance of endocannabinoid signalling in obstructive airway disease. Importantly, AEA inhalation protects against airway hyper-reactivity after ovalbumin sensitization. Thus, this work highlights the AEA/FAAH axis as a critical regulator of airway tone that could provide therapeutic targets for airway relaxation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annika Simon
- grid.5570.70000 0004 0490 981XDepartment of Systems Physiology, Medical Faculty, Ruhr University of Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Thomas von Einem
- grid.10388.320000 0001 2240 3300Institute of Physiology I, Life&Brain Center, Medical Faculty, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Alexander Seidinger
- grid.5570.70000 0004 0490 981XDepartment of Systems Physiology, Medical Faculty, Ruhr University of Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Michaela Matthey
- grid.5570.70000 0004 0490 981XDepartment of Systems Physiology, Medical Faculty, Ruhr University of Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Laura Bindila
- grid.410607.4Institute of Physiological Chemistry, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Daniela Wenzel
- grid.5570.70000 0004 0490 981XDepartment of Systems Physiology, Medical Faculty, Ruhr University of Bochum, Bochum, Germany ,grid.10388.320000 0001 2240 3300Institute of Physiology I, Life&Brain Center, Medical Faculty, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
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5
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Rieck S, Kilgus S, Meyer JH, Huang H, Zhao L, Matthey M, Wang X, Schmitz-Valckenberg S, Fleischmann BK, Wenzel D. Inhibition of Vascular Growth by Modulation of the Anandamide/Fatty Acid Amide Hydrolase Axis. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol 2021; 41:2974-2989. [PMID: 34615374 PMCID: PMC8608012 DOI: 10.1161/atvbaha.121.316973] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text. Objective: Pathological angiogenesis is a hallmark of various diseases characterized by local hypoxia and inflammation. These disorders can be treated with inhibitors of angiogenesis, but current compounds display a variety of side effects and lose efficacy over time. This makes the identification of novel signaling pathways and pharmacological targets involved in angiogenesis a top priority. Approach and Results: Here, we show that inactivation of FAAH (fatty acid amide hydrolase), the enzyme responsible for degradation of the endocannabinoid anandamide, strongly impairs angiogenesis in vitro and in vivo. Both, the pharmacological FAAH inhibitor URB597 and anandamide induce downregulation of gene sets for cell cycle progression and DNA replication in endothelial cells. This is underscored by cell biological experiments, in which both compounds inhibit proliferation and migration and evoke cell cycle exit of endothelial cells. This prominent antiangiogenic effect is also of pathophysiological relevance in vivo, as laser-induced choroidal neovascularization in the eye of FAAH−/− mice is strongly reduced. Conclusions: Thus, elevation of endogenous anandamide levels by FAAH inhibition represents a novel antiangiogenic mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Rieck
- Institute of Physiology I, Life&Brain Center, Medical Faculty (S.R., S.K., B.K.F., D.W.), University of Bonn, Germany
| | - Sofia Kilgus
- Institute of Physiology I, Life&Brain Center, Medical Faculty (S.R., S.K., B.K.F., D.W.), University of Bonn, Germany
| | - Johanna H Meyer
- Department of Ophthalmology (J.H.M., S.S.-V.), University of Bonn, Germany
| | - Hao Huang
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, City University of Hong Kong (H.H., L.Z., X.W.)
| | - Lan Zhao
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, City University of Hong Kong (H.H., L.Z., X.W.)
| | - Michaela Matthey
- Department of Systems Physiology, Institute of Physiology, Medical Faculty, Ruhr University of Bochum, Germany (M.M., D.W.)
| | - Xin Wang
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, City University of Hong Kong (H.H., L.Z., X.W.)
| | - Steffen Schmitz-Valckenberg
- Department of Ophthalmology (J.H.M., S.S.-V.), University of Bonn, Germany.,John A. Moran Eye Center, Ophthalmology & Visual Science, University of Utah, Salt Lake City (S.S.-V.)
| | - Bernd K Fleischmann
- Institute of Physiology I, Life&Brain Center, Medical Faculty (S.R., S.K., B.K.F., D.W.), University of Bonn, Germany
| | - Daniela Wenzel
- Institute of Physiology I, Life&Brain Center, Medical Faculty (S.R., S.K., B.K.F., D.W.), University of Bonn, Germany.,Department of Systems Physiology, Institute of Physiology, Medical Faculty, Ruhr University of Bochum, Germany (M.M., D.W.)
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6
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Cannabinoids-A New Perspective in Adjuvant Therapy for Pulmonary Hypertension. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms221810048. [PMID: 34576212 PMCID: PMC8472313 DOI: 10.3390/ijms221810048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2021] [Revised: 09/14/2021] [Accepted: 09/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Currently, no treatment can completely cure pulmonary hypertension (PH), which can lead to right ventricular failure and, consequently, death. Therefore, searching for new therapies remains important. Increased resistance in pulmonary circulation is mainly caused by the excessive contraction and proliferation of small pulmonary arteries. Cannabinoids, a group of lipophilic compounds that all interact with cannabinoid receptors, exert a pulmonary vasodilatory effect through several different mechanisms, including mechanisms that depend on vascular endothelium and/or receptor-based mechanisms, and may also have anti-proliferative and anti-inflammatory properties. The vasodilatory effect is important in regulating pulmonary resistance, which can improve patients’ quality of life. Moreover, experimental studies on the effects of cannabidiol (plant-derived, non-psychoactive cannabinoid) in animal PH models have shown that cannabidiol reduces right ventricular systolic pressure and excessive remodelling and decreases pulmonary vascular hypertrophy and pulmonary vascular resistance. Due to the potentially beneficial effects of cannabinoids on pulmonary circulation and PH, in this work, we review whether cannabinoids can be used as an adjunctive therapy for PH. However, clinical trials are still needed to recommend the use of cannabinoids in the treatment of PH.
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7
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Coolens C, Gwilliam MN, Alcaide-Leon P, de Freitas Faria IM, Ynoe de Moraes F. Transformational Role of Medical Imaging in (Radiation) Oncology. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:cancers13112557. [PMID: 34070984 PMCID: PMC8197089 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13112557] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2021] [Revised: 05/18/2021] [Accepted: 05/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Onboard, imaging techniques have brought about a huge transformation in the ability to deliver targeted radiation therapies. Each generation of these technologies enables us to better visualize where to deliver lethal doses of radiation and thus allows the shrinking of necessary geometric margins leading to reduced toxicities. Alongside improvements in treatment delivery, advances in medical imaging have also allowed us to better define the volumes we wish to target. The development of imaging techniques that can capture aspects of the tumor’s biology before, during and after therapy is transforming how treatment can be delivered. Technological changes have further made these biological imaging techniques available in real-time providing the opportunity to monitor a patient’s response to treatment closely and often before any volume changes are visible on conventional radiological images. Here we discuss the development of robust quantitative imaging biomarkers and how they can personalize therapy towards meaningful clinical endpoints. Abstract Onboard, real-time, imaging techniques, from the original megavoltage planar imaging devices, to the emerging combined MRI-Linear Accelerators, have brought a huge transformation in the ability to deliver targeted radiation therapies. Each generation of these technologies enables lethal doses of radiation to be delivered to target volumes with progressively more accuracy and thus allows shrinking of necessary geometric margins, leading to reduced toxicities. Alongside these improvements in treatment delivery, advances in medical imaging, e.g., PET, and MRI, have also allowed target volumes themselves to be better defined. The development of functional and molecular imaging is now driving a conceptually larger step transformation to both better understand the cancer target and disease to be treated, as well as how tumors respond to treatment. A biological description of the tumor microenvironment is now accepted as an essential component of how to personalize and adapt treatment. This applies not only to radiation oncology but extends widely in cancer management from surgical oncology planning and interventional radiology, to evaluation of targeted drug delivery efficacy in medical oncology/immunotherapy. Here, we will discuss the role and requirements of functional and metabolic imaging techniques in the context of brain tumors and metastases to reliably provide multi-parametric imaging biomarkers of the tumor microenvironment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine Coolens
- Department of Medical Physics, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre & University Health Network, Toronto, ON M5G 1Z5, Canada;
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5T 1P5, Canada
- Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5G 1L7, Canada
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3G9, Canada
- TECHNA Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, ON M5G 1Z5, Canada
- Correspondence:
| | - Matt N. Gwilliam
- Department of Medical Physics, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre & University Health Network, Toronto, ON M5G 1Z5, Canada;
| | - Paula Alcaide-Leon
- Joint Department of Medical Imaging, University Health Network, Toronto, ON M5G 1Z5, Canada;
| | | | - Fabio Ynoe de Moraes
- Department of Oncology, Division of Radiation Oncology, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON K7L 5P9, Canada;
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Sadowska O, Baranowska-Kuczko M, Gromotowicz-Popławska A, Biernacki M, Kicman A, Malinowska B, Kasacka I, Krzyżewska A, Kozłowska H. Cannabidiol Ameliorates Monocrotaline-Induced Pulmonary Hypertension in Rats. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21197077. [PMID: 32992900 PMCID: PMC7582795 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21197077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2020] [Revised: 09/11/2020] [Accepted: 09/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Cannabidiol (CBD) is known for its vasorelaxant (including in the human pulmonary artery), anti-proliferative and anti-inflammatory properties. The aim of our study was to examine the potential preventive effect of chronic CBD administration (10 mg/kg/day for three weeks) on monocrotaline (MCT)-induced pulmonary hypertension (PH) rats. PH was connected with elevation of right ventricular systolic pressure; right ventricle hypertrophy; lung edema; pulmonary artery remodeling; enhancement of the vasoconstrictor and decreasing vasodilatory responses; increases in plasma concentrations of tissue plasminogen activator, plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 and leukocyte count; and a decrease in blood oxygen saturation. CBD improved all abovementioned changes induced by PH except right ventricle hypertrophy and lung edema. In addition, CBD increased lung levels of some endocannabinoids (anandamide, N-arachidonoyl glycine, linolenoyl ethanolamide, palmitoleoyl ethanolamide and eicosapentaenoyl ethanolamide but not 2-arachidonoylglycerol). CBD did not affect the cardiopulmonary system of control rats or other parameters of blood morphology in PH. Our data suggest that CBD ameliorates MCT-induced PH in rats by improving endothelial efficiency and function, normalization of hemostatic alterations and reduction of enhanced leukocyte count determined in PH. In conclusion, CBD may be a safe, promising therapeutic or adjuvant therapy agent for the treatment of human pulmonary artery hypertension.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olga Sadowska
- Department of Experimental Physiology and Pathophysiology, Medical University of Białystok, 15-222 Białystok, Poland; (O.S.); (M.B.-K.); (A.K.); (B.M.); (A.K.)
| | - Marta Baranowska-Kuczko
- Department of Experimental Physiology and Pathophysiology, Medical University of Białystok, 15-222 Białystok, Poland; (O.S.); (M.B.-K.); (A.K.); (B.M.); (A.K.)
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Medical University of Białystok, 15-222 Białystok, Poland
| | | | - Michał Biernacki
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, Medical University of Białystok, 15-222 Białystok, Poland;
| | - Aleksandra Kicman
- Department of Experimental Physiology and Pathophysiology, Medical University of Białystok, 15-222 Białystok, Poland; (O.S.); (M.B.-K.); (A.K.); (B.M.); (A.K.)
| | - Barbara Malinowska
- Department of Experimental Physiology and Pathophysiology, Medical University of Białystok, 15-222 Białystok, Poland; (O.S.); (M.B.-K.); (A.K.); (B.M.); (A.K.)
| | - Irena Kasacka
- Department of Histology and Cytophysiology, Medical University of Bialystok, 15-222 Bialystok, Poland;
| | - Anna Krzyżewska
- Department of Experimental Physiology and Pathophysiology, Medical University of Białystok, 15-222 Białystok, Poland; (O.S.); (M.B.-K.); (A.K.); (B.M.); (A.K.)
| | - Hanna Kozłowska
- Department of Experimental Physiology and Pathophysiology, Medical University of Białystok, 15-222 Białystok, Poland; (O.S.); (M.B.-K.); (A.K.); (B.M.); (A.K.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +48-85-748-5699
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9
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An act of balance: Interaction of central and peripheral chemosensitivity with inflammatory and anti-inflammatory factors in obstructive sleep apnoea. Respir Physiol Neurobiol 2019; 266:73-81. [DOI: 10.1016/j.resp.2019.05.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2019] [Revised: 04/30/2019] [Accepted: 05/02/2019] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
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10
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Malinowska B, Toczek M, Pędzińska‐Betiuk A, Schlicker E. Cannabinoids in arterial, pulmonary and portal hypertension - mechanisms of action and potential therapeutic significance. Br J Pharmacol 2019; 176:1395-1411. [PMID: 29455452 PMCID: PMC6487561 DOI: 10.1111/bph.14168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2017] [Revised: 01/24/2018] [Accepted: 02/05/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The endocannabinoid system is overactivated in arterial, pulmonary and portal hypertension. In this paper, we present limited clinical data concerning the role of cannabinoids in human hypertension including polymorphism of endocannabinoid system components. We underline differences between the acute cannabinoid administration and their potential hypotensive effect after chronic application in experimental hypertension. We discuss pleiotropic effects of cannabinoids on the cardiovascular system mediated via numerous neuronal and non‐neuronal mechanisms both in normotension and in hypertension. The final results are dependent on the model of hypertension, age, sex, the cannabinoid ligands used or the action via endocannabinoid metabolites. More experimental and clinical studies are needed to clarify the role of endocannabinoids in hypertension, not only in the search for new therapeutic strategies but also in the context of cardiovascular effects of cannabinoids and the steadily increasing legalization of cannabis use for recreational and medical purposes.Linked ArticlesThis article is part of a themed section on 8th European Workshop on Cannabinoid Research. To view the other articles in this section visit http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bph.v176.10/issuetoc
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbara Malinowska
- Department of Experimental Physiology and PathophysiologyMedical University of BiałystokBiałystokPoland
| | - Marek Toczek
- Department of Experimental Physiology and PathophysiologyMedical University of BiałystokBiałystokPoland
| | - Anna Pędzińska‐Betiuk
- Department of Experimental Physiology and PathophysiologyMedical University of BiałystokBiałystokPoland
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Richter JS, Quenardelle V, Rouyer O, Raul JS, Beaujeux R, Gény B, Wolff V. A Systematic Review of the Complex Effects of Cannabinoids on Cerebral and Peripheral Circulation in Animal Models. Front Physiol 2018; 9:622. [PMID: 29896112 PMCID: PMC5986896 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2018.00622] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2018] [Accepted: 05/08/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
While cannabis is perceived as a relatively safe drug by the public, accumulating clinical data suggest detrimental cardiovascular effects of cannabinoids. Cannabis has been legalized in several countries and jurisdictions recently. Experimental studies specifically targeting cannabinoids' effects on the cerebral vasculature are rare. There is evidence for transient vasoconstrictive effects of cannabinoids in the peripheral and cerebral vasculature in a complex interplay of vasodilation and vasoconstriction. Vasoreactivity to cannabinoids is dependent on the specific molecules, their metabolites and dose, baseline vascular tone, and vessel characteristics as well as experimental conditions and animal species. We systematically review the currently available literature of experimental results in in vivo and in vitro animal studies, examining cannabinoids' effects on circulation and reactive vasodilation or vasoconstriction, with a particular focus on the cerebral vascular bed.
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Affiliation(s)
- J. Sebastian Richter
- Department of Interventional Neuroradiology, University Hospital of Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
- Institute of Image-Guided Surgery (IHU), Strasbourg, France
- Equipe d'Accueil 3072, University of Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
| | - Véronique Quenardelle
- Equipe d'Accueil 3072, University of Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
- Stroke Unit, University Hospital, Strasbourg, France
| | - Olivier Rouyer
- Equipe d'Accueil 3072, University of Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
- Stroke Unit, University Hospital, Strasbourg, France
- Department of Physiology and Functional Explorations, University Hospital of Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
| | | | - Rémy Beaujeux
- Department of Interventional Neuroradiology, University Hospital of Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
- Institute of Image-Guided Surgery (IHU), Strasbourg, France
| | - Bernard Gény
- Equipe d'Accueil 3072, University of Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
- Department of Physiology and Functional Explorations, University Hospital of Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
| | - Valérie Wolff
- Equipe d'Accueil 3072, University of Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
- Stroke Unit, University Hospital, Strasbourg, France
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12
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Luque-Córdoba D, Calderón-Santiago M, Luque de Castro MD, Priego-Capote F. Study of sample preparation for determination of endocannabinoids and analogous compounds in human serum by LC-MS/MS in MRM mode. Talanta 2018; 185:602-610. [PMID: 29759247 DOI: 10.1016/j.talanta.2018.04.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2018] [Revised: 04/04/2018] [Accepted: 04/08/2018] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Endocannabinoids are lipids with a key role in physiological processes such as the immune response or the metabolism. This involvement explains their association to pathologies such as cancer, obesity or multiple sclerosis. The determination of endocannabinoids constitutes a challenge for clinical laboratories due to the variety of biological matrices and the wide range of concentrations at which they can be found. This research deals with the comparison of three sample preparation strategies (viz., on-line SPE, off-line SPE for interferents removal, and protein precipitation) for subsequent LC-MS/MS analysis of 14 endocannabinoids and analogous compounds in serum. As a result, the on-line coupling between SPE and LC-MS/MS is proposed as the best approach for this determination. The proposed method allows full automation of the overall process, shortening of the analysis time, and avoidance of errors associated with sample preparation steps. The improvement in sensitivity and selectivity thus achieved allows obtaining quantification limits at the pg mL-1 level, which makes possible the application of the method for clinical studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- D Luque-Córdoba
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, Annex Marie Curie Building, Campus of Rabanales, University of Córdoba, Córdoba, Spain; Agrifood Campus of International Excellence ceiA3, Campus of Rabanales, University of Córdoba, Córdoba, Spain; Maimónides Institute of Biomedical Research (IMIBIC), Reina Sofía University Hospital, University of Córdoba, Córdoba, Spain; CIBER Fragilidad y Envejecimiento Saludable (CIBERfes), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Spain
| | - M Calderón-Santiago
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, Annex Marie Curie Building, Campus of Rabanales, University of Córdoba, Córdoba, Spain; Agrifood Campus of International Excellence ceiA3, Campus of Rabanales, University of Córdoba, Córdoba, Spain; Maimónides Institute of Biomedical Research (IMIBIC), Reina Sofía University Hospital, University of Córdoba, Córdoba, Spain; CIBER Fragilidad y Envejecimiento Saludable (CIBERfes), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Spain.
| | - M D Luque de Castro
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, Annex Marie Curie Building, Campus of Rabanales, University of Córdoba, Córdoba, Spain; Agrifood Campus of International Excellence ceiA3, Campus of Rabanales, University of Córdoba, Córdoba, Spain; Maimónides Institute of Biomedical Research (IMIBIC), Reina Sofía University Hospital, University of Córdoba, Córdoba, Spain; CIBER Fragilidad y Envejecimiento Saludable (CIBERfes), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Spain
| | - F Priego-Capote
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, Annex Marie Curie Building, Campus of Rabanales, University of Córdoba, Córdoba, Spain; Agrifood Campus of International Excellence ceiA3, Campus of Rabanales, University of Córdoba, Córdoba, Spain; Maimónides Institute of Biomedical Research (IMIBIC), Reina Sofía University Hospital, University of Córdoba, Córdoba, Spain; CIBER Fragilidad y Envejecimiento Saludable (CIBERfes), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Spain.
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Ho WSV, Kelly MEM. Cannabinoids in the Cardiovascular System. ADVANCES IN PHARMACOLOGY (SAN DIEGO, CALIF.) 2017; 80:329-366. [PMID: 28826540 DOI: 10.1016/bs.apha.2017.05.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Cannabinoids are known to modulate cardiovascular functions including heart rate, vascular tone, and blood pressure in humans and animal models. Essential components of the endocannabinoid system, namely, the production, degradation, and signaling pathways of endocannabinoids have been described not only in the central and peripheral nervous system but also in myocardium, vasculature, platelets, and immune cells. The mechanisms of cardiovascular responses to endocannabinoids are often complex and may involve cannabinoid CB1 and CB2 receptors or non-CB1/2 receptor targets. Preclinical and some clinical studies have suggested that targeting the endocannabinoid system can improve cardiovascular functions in a number of pathophysiological conditions, including hypertension, metabolic syndrome, sepsis, and atherosclerosis. In this chapter, we summarize the local and systemic cardiovascular effects of cannabinoids and highlight our current knowledge regarding the therapeutic potential of endocannabinoid signaling and modulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wing S V Ho
- Vascular Biology Research Centre, St George's University of London, London, United Kingdom.
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14
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Karpińska O, Baranowska-Kuczko M, Kloza M, Ambroz Ewicz E, Kozłowski T, Kasacka I, Malinowska B, Kozłowska H. Activation of CB 1 receptors by 2-arachidonoylglycerol attenuates vasoconstriction induced by U46619 and angiotensin II in human and rat pulmonary arteries. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 2017; 312:R883-R893. [PMID: 28356298 DOI: 10.1152/ajpregu.00324.2016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2016] [Revised: 03/17/2017] [Accepted: 03/22/2017] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Recent evidence suggests that endocannabinoids acting via cannabinoid CB1 receptors may modulate vascular responses of various vasoconstrictors in the rodent systemic vasculature. The aim of the study was to investigate whether endocannabinoids modulate the contractile responses evoked by a thromboxane A2 analog (U46619), angiotensin II (ANG II), serotonin (5-HT), and phenylephrine, which stimulate distinct Gq/11 protein-coupled receptors (thromboxane, ANG II type 1, 5-HT2, and α1-adrenergic receptors) in isolated endothelium-intact human and rat pulmonary arteries (hPAs and rPAs, respectively). The CB1 receptor antagonist AM251 (1 μM) and diacylglycerol lipase (2-arachidonoylglycerol synthesis enzyme) inhibitor RHC80267 (40 μM) enhanced contractions induced by U46619 in hPAs and rPAs and by ANG II in rPAs in an endothelium-dependent manner. AM251 did not influence vasoconstrictions induced by 5-HT or phenylephrine in rPAs. The monoacylglycerol lipase (2-arachidonoylglycerol degradation enzyme) inhibitor JZL184 (1 μM), but not the fatty acid amide hydrolase (anandamide degradation enzyme) inhibitor URB597 (1 μM), attenuated contractions evoked by U46619 in hPAs and rPAs and ANG II in rPAs. 2-Arachidonoylglycerol concentration-dependently induced relaxation of hPAs, which was inhibited by endothelium denudation or AM251 and enhanced by JZL184. Expression of CB1 receptors was confirmed in hPAs and rPAs using Western blotting and immunohistochemistry. The present study shows the protective interaction between the endocannabinoid system and vasoconstriction in response to U46619 and ANG II in the human and rat pulmonary circulation. U46619 and ANG II may stimulate rapid endothelial release of endocannabinoids (mainly 2-arachidonoylglycerol), leading to CB1 receptor-dependent and/or CB1 receptor-independent vasorelaxation, which in the negative feedback mechanism reduces later agonist-induced vasoconstriction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olga Karpińska
- Department of Experimental Physiology and Pathophysiology, Medical University of Białystok, Białystok, Poland
| | - Marta Baranowska-Kuczko
- Department of Experimental Physiology and Pathophysiology, Medical University of Białystok, Białystok, Poland
| | - Monika Kloza
- Department of Experimental Physiology and Pathophysiology, Medical University of Białystok, Białystok, Poland
| | - Ewa Ambroz Ewicz
- Department of Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry, Medical University of Białystok, Białystok, Poland
| | - Tomasz Kozłowski
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Medical University of Białystok, Białystok, Poland; and
| | - Irena Kasacka
- Department of Histology and Cytophysiology, Medical University of Białystok, Białystok, Poland
| | - Barbara Malinowska
- Department of Experimental Physiology and Pathophysiology, Medical University of Białystok, Białystok, Poland
| | - Hanna Kozłowska
- Department of Experimental Physiology and Pathophysiology, Medical University of Białystok, Białystok, Poland;
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Munakata A, Naraoka M, Katagai T, Shimamura N, Ohkuma H. Role of Cyclooxygenase-2 in Relation to Nitric Oxide and Endothelin-1 on Pathogenesis of Cerebral Vasospasm After Subarachnoid Hemorrhage in Rabbit. Transl Stroke Res 2016; 7:220-7. [DOI: 10.1007/s12975-016-0466-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2016] [Revised: 02/28/2016] [Accepted: 03/29/2016] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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Abstract
The endocannabinoid system is widely distributed throughout the cardiovascular system. Endocannabinoids play a minimal role in the regulation of cardiovascular function in normal conditions, but are altered in most cardiovascular disorders. In shock, endocannabinoids released within blood mediate the associated hypotension through CB(1) activation. In hypertension, there is evidence for changes in the expression of CB(1), and CB(1) antagonism reduces blood pressure in obese hypertensive and diabetic patients. The endocannabinoid system is also upregulated in cardiac pathologies. This is likely to be cardioprotective, via CB(2) and CB(1) (lesser extent). In the vasculature, endocannabinoids cause vasorelaxation through activation of multiple target sites, inhibition of calcium channels, activation of potassium channels, NO production and the release of vasoactive substances. Changes in the expression or function of any of these pathways alter the vascular effect of endocannabinoids. Endocannabinoids have positive (CB(2)) and negative effects (CB(1)) on the progression of atherosclerosis. However, any negative effects of CB(1) may not be consequential, as chronic CB(1) antagonism in large scale human trials was not associated with significant reductions in atheroma. In neurovascular disorders such as stroke, endocannabinoids are upregulated and protective, involving activation of CB(1), CB(2), TRPV1 and PPARα. Although most of this evidence is from preclinical studies, it seems likely that cannabinoid-based therapies could be beneficial in a range of cardiovascular disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saoirse Elizabeth O'Sullivan
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Division of Medical Sciences and Graduate Entry Medicine, School of Medicine, Royal Derby Hospital Centre, University of Nottingham, Room 4107, Uttoxeter Road, Derby, DE22 3DT, UK.
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Turcotte C, Chouinard F, Lefebvre JS, Flamand N. Regulation of inflammation by cannabinoids, the endocannabinoids 2-arachidonoyl-glycerol and arachidonoyl-ethanolamide, and their metabolites. J Leukoc Biol 2015; 97:1049-70. [PMID: 25877930 DOI: 10.1189/jlb.3ru0115-021r] [Citation(s) in RCA: 155] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2015] [Accepted: 02/28/2015] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
2-Arachidonoyl-glycerol (2-AG) and arachidonyl-ethanolamide (AEA) are endocannabinoids that have been implicated in many physiologic disorders, including obesity, metabolic syndromes, hepatic diseases, pain, neurologic disorders, and inflammation. Their immunomodulatory effects are numerous and are not always mediated by cannabinoid receptors, reflecting the presence of an arachidonic acid (AA) molecule in their structure, the latter being the precursor of numerous bioactive lipids that are pro- or anti-inflammatory. 2-AG and AEA can thus serve as a source of AA but can also be metabolized by most eicosanoid biosynthetic enzymes, yielding additional lipids. In this regard, enhancing endocannabinoid levels by using endocannabinoid hydrolysis inhibitors is likely to augment the levels of these lipids that could regulate inflammatory cell functions. This review summarizes the metabolic pathways involved in the biosynthesis and metabolism of AEA and 2-AG, as well as the biologic effects of the 2-AG and AEA lipidomes in the regulation of inflammation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline Turcotte
- Centre de Recherche de l'Institut Universitaire de Cardiologie et de Pneumologie de Québec (IUCPQ), Département de Médecine, Faculté de Médecine, Université Laval, Québec City, QC, Canada
| | - François Chouinard
- Centre de Recherche de l'Institut Universitaire de Cardiologie et de Pneumologie de Québec (IUCPQ), Département de Médecine, Faculté de Médecine, Université Laval, Québec City, QC, Canada
| | - Julie S Lefebvre
- Centre de Recherche de l'Institut Universitaire de Cardiologie et de Pneumologie de Québec (IUCPQ), Département de Médecine, Faculté de Médecine, Université Laval, Québec City, QC, Canada
| | - Nicolas Flamand
- Centre de Recherche de l'Institut Universitaire de Cardiologie et de Pneumologie de Québec (IUCPQ), Département de Médecine, Faculté de Médecine, Université Laval, Québec City, QC, Canada
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Stanley C, O'Sullivan SE. Vascular targets for cannabinoids: animal and human studies. Br J Pharmacol 2014; 171:1361-78. [PMID: 24329566 DOI: 10.1111/bph.12560] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2013] [Revised: 10/18/2013] [Accepted: 11/18/2013] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
UNLABELLED Application of cannabinoids and endocannabinoids to perfused vascular beds or individual isolated arteries results in changes in vascular resistance. In most cases, the result is vasorelaxation, although vasoconstrictor responses are also observed. Cannabinoids also modulate the actions of vasoactive compounds including acetylcholine, methoxamine, angiotensin II and U46619 (thromboxane mimetic). Numerous mechanisms of action have been proposed including receptor activation, potassium channel activation, calcium channel inhibition and the production of vasoactive mediators such as calcitonin gene-related peptide, prostanoids, NO, endothelial-derived hyperpolarizing factor and hydrogen peroxide. The purpose of this review is to examine the evidence for the range of receptors now known to be activated by cannabinoids. Direct activation by cannabinoids of CB1 , CBe , TRPV1 (and potentially other TRP channels) and PPARs in the vasculature has been observed. A potential role for CB2, GPR55 and 5-HT1 A has also been identified in some studies. Indirectly, activation of prostanoid receptors (TP, IP, EP1 and EP4 ) and the CGRP receptor is involved in the vascular responses to cannabinoids. The majority of this evidence has been obtained through animal research, but recent work has confirmed some of these targets in human arteries. Vascular responses to cannabinoids are enhanced in hypertension and cirrhosis, but are reduced in obesity and diabetes, both due to changes in the target sites of action. Much further work is required to establish the extent of vascular actions of cannabinoids and the application of this research in physiological and pathophysiological situations. LINKED ARTICLES This article is part of a themed section on Cannabinoids 2013. To view the other articles in this section visit http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/bph.2014.171.issue-6.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher Stanley
- School of Graduate Entry Medicine and Health, University of Nottingham, Royal Derby Hospital, Derby, UK
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Kim J, Watkins BA. Cannabinoid receptor antagonists and fatty acids alter endocannabinoid system gene expression and COX activity. J Nutr Biochem 2014; 25:815-23. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jnutbio.2014.03.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2013] [Revised: 03/10/2014] [Accepted: 03/11/2014] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
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Mechanisms of endothelium-dependent relaxation evoked by anandamide in isolated human pulmonary arteries. Naunyn Schmiedebergs Arch Pharmacol 2014; 387:477-86. [PMID: 24682422 PMCID: PMC3984660 DOI: 10.1007/s00210-014-0961-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2013] [Accepted: 02/06/2014] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Endocannabinoids contract, relax or do not affect vessels with different calibre and tone in the pulmonary circulation in four species. The aim of the present study was to determine the mechanisms involved in the anandamide-induced relaxation of human pulmonary arteries (hPAs). Studies were performed in the isolated hPAs pre-constricted with the prostanoid TP receptor agonist, U-46619. To detect fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) expression, Western blots were used. Anandamide concentration dependently relaxed the endothelium-intact hPAs pre-constricted with U-46619. The anandamide-induced relaxation was virtually abolished by removal of the endothelium and strongly attenuated by inhibitors of cyclooxygenases (indomethacin, COX-1/COX-2, and nimesulide, COX-2), nitric oxide synthase (N (G) -nitro-L-arginine methyl ester) given separately or in combination, FAAH (URB597), and the prostanoid IP receptor antagonist, RO1138452. The anandamide-evoked relaxation in the endothelium-intact vessels was attenuated in KCl pre-constricted preparations or by the inhibitor of large-conductance Ca(2+)-activated K(+) channels, iberiotoxin. In experiments performed in the presence of URB597 to exclude effects of anandamide metabolites, the antagonist of the endothelial cannabinoid receptor, O-1918, diminished the anandamide-evoked relaxation whereas the antagonists of cannabinoid CB1, CB2 and vanilloid TRPV1 receptors, AM251, SR144528 and capsazepine, respectively, had no effect. Western blot studies revealed the occurrence of FAAH protein in the hPAs. The present study shows that anandamide breakdown products, cyclooxygenase pathways, nitric oxide, potassium channels and the O-1918-sensitive cannabinoid receptor play a role in the anandamide-induced relaxation of the hPAs with intact endothelium.
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21
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Endocannabinoid anandamide mediates hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2013; 110:18710-5. [PMID: 24167249 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1308130110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Endocannabinoids are important regulators of organ homeostasis. Although their role in systemic vasculature has been extensively studied, their impact on pulmonary vessels remains less clear. Herein, we show that the endocannabinoid anandamide (AEA) is a key mediator of hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction (HPV) via fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH)-dependent metabolites. This is underscored by the prominent vasoconstrictive effect of AEA on pulmonary arteries and strongly reduced HPV in FAAH(-/-) mice and wild-type mice upon pharmacological treatment with FAAH inhibitor URB597. In addition, mass spectrometry measurements revealed a clear increase of AEA and the FAAH-dependent metabolite arachidonic acid in hypoxic lungs of wild-type mice. We have identified pulmonary vascular smooth muscle cells as the source responsible for hypoxia-induced AEA generation. Moreover, either FAAH(-/-) mice or wild-type mice treated with FAAH inhibitor URB597 are protected against hypoxia-induced pulmonary hypertension and the concomitant vascular remodeling in the lung. Thus, the AEA/FAAH pathway is an important mediator of HPV and is involved in the generation of pulmonary hypertension.
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Zoerner AA, Gutzki FM, Batkai S, May M, Rakers C, Engeli S, Jordan J, Tsikas D. Quantification of endocannabinoids in biological systems by chromatography and mass spectrometry: A comprehensive review from an analytical and biological perspective. Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Cell Biol Lipids 2011; 1811:706-23. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbalip.2011.08.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 120] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2011] [Revised: 08/11/2011] [Accepted: 08/12/2011] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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23
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Rouzer CA, Marnett LJ. Endocannabinoid oxygenation by cyclooxygenases, lipoxygenases, and cytochromes P450: cross-talk between the eicosanoid and endocannabinoid signaling pathways. Chem Rev 2011; 111:5899-921. [PMID: 21923193 PMCID: PMC3191732 DOI: 10.1021/cr2002799] [Citation(s) in RCA: 228] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2011] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Carol A Rouzer
- A.B. Hancock Jr. Memorial Laboratory for Cancer Research, Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt Institute of Chemical Biology, Center in Molecular Toxicology, Vanderbilt Ingram Comprehensive Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee 37232-0146, USA
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Abstract
Cannabinoids are the active chemical components of Cannabis sativa (marijuana). The medical use of cannabis goes back over 5,000 years. Cannabinoids produce a very wide array of central and peripheral effects, some of which may have beneficial clinical applications. The discovery of cannabinoid receptors has spawned great interest within the pharmaceutical industry with the hopes of capitalizing on the beneficial effects of cannabis without the unwanted psychotropic effects on the central and peripheral nervous system. This chapter presents an overview of the pharmacology of cannabinoids and their derivatives. It reviews the current literature on central and peripheral cannabinoid receptors as related to effects on the lower urinary tract and the role of these receptors in normal and abnormal urinary tract function. An objective evaluation of the published results of clinical trials of cannabis extracts for the treatment of bladder dysfunction resulting from multiple sclerosis is also presented. It is clear that cannabinoid receptors are present in the lower urinary tract as well as spinal and higher centers involved in lower urinary tract control. Systemic cannabinoids have effects on the lower urinary tract that may be able to become clinically useful; however, a much greater understanding of the mechanisms of cannabinoid receptors in control of the human lower urinary tract is necessary to facilitate development of novel cannabinoid drugs for treatment of pelvic disorders.
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Chronic Treatment With the Cannabinoid 1 Antagonist Rimonabant Altered Vasoactive Cyclo-oxygenase-Derived Products on Arteries From Obese Zucker Rats. J Cardiovasc Pharmacol 2010; 56:560-9. [DOI: 10.1097/fjc.0b013e3181f7141a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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Gardiner SM, March JE, Kemp PA, Bennett T. Factors influencing the regional haemodynamic responses to methanandamide and anandamide in conscious rats. Br J Pharmacol 2009; 158:1143-52. [PMID: 19702785 DOI: 10.1111/j.1476-5381.2009.00363.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE In vitro evidence suggests that metabolism of anandamide by cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) may be more important when the primary metabolic pathway [i.e. fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH)] is inhibited. Thus, the first aim of the present study was to assess the effects of COX-2 and/or FAAH inhibition, on the cardiovascular actions of anandamide. The second aim was to compare the effects of anandamide with those of the metabolically stable analogue (i.e. methanandamide) and investigate mechanisms involved in responses to the latter in conscious rats. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH Rats were chronically instrumented for recording blood pressure, heart rate and renal, mesenteric and hindquarters vascular conductances in the freely moving state. KEY RESULTS Inhibition of FAAH with URB597 (cyclohexycarbamic acid 3'-carbamoyl-biphenyl-3-yl-ester) augmented the haemodynamic actions of anandamide, but there was no effect of COX-2 inhibition with parecoxib, either in the absence or the presence of URB597. Methanandamide caused CB(1) receptor-mediated renal and mesenteric vasoconstriction and evoked beta(2)-adrenoceptor-mediated hindquarters vasodilatation. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS No evidence for an involvement of COX-2 in the systemic cardiovascular actions of anandamide could be demonstrated. Vasoconstrictor actions of methanandamide were shown to involve CB(1) receptors, whereas no involvement of CB(1) receptors in such actions of anandamide has been shown. However, beta(2)-adrenoceptor-mediated hindquarters vasodilatation, independent of CB(1) receptors, observed here with methanandamide, has previously been seen with anandamide and differs from previous results with other synthetic cannabinoids for which the response was CB(1) receptor-dependent. Thus, mechanisms underlying the cardiovascular actions of endocannabinoids and synthetic analogues appear to be agonist-specific.
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Affiliation(s)
- S M Gardiner
- Centre for Integrated Systems Biology & Medicine, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK.
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27
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Mingorance C, Alvarez de Sotomayor M, Jiménez-Palacios FJ, Callejón Mochón M, Casto C, Marhuenda E, Herrera MD. Effects of chronic treatment with the CB1 antagonist, rimonabant on the blood pressure, and vascular reactivity of obese Zucker rats. Obesity (Silver Spring) 2009; 17:1340-7. [PMID: 19553924 DOI: 10.1038/oby.2009.20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Rimonabant (RM) is a cannabinoid CB1 receptor antagonist useful in the treatment of obesity associated cardiovascular risk factors. Since cannabinoids are vasoactive compounds, the aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of chronic treatment with RM on systolic blood pressure (SBP), and endothelial and vascular reactivity. Obese Zucker rats (OZRs) and their lean counterparts were orally treated during 20 weeks with either RM (10 mg/kg/day). Endothelial and vascular function was assessed in aorta and small mesenteric arteries (SMAs) by concentration response curves to acetylcholine (ACh) and phenylephrine (Phe), respectively. Participation of nitric oxide (NO) was evaluated by incubation with the NO synthase (NOS) inhibitor N(G)-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) and cyclooxygenase (COX)-derived products involvement was analyzed by incubation with indomethacin (INDO). Plasma lipid profile, insulin and adiponectin were also analyzed. Sympathetic activity was evaluated by urinary excretion of noradrenaline. As expected, RM decreased body weight gain and enhanced adiponectin concentration. Insulin resistance and sympathetic activity were also decreased. The increase in SBP observed in OZRs was reduced by treatment with RM. Aortae and SMAs from OZRs exhibited lower contractile response to Phe, being this effect prevented by RM administration. Although ACh-induced response and NO participation remained unaltered with obesity, enhanced COX-derived constrictor products were found in OZRs. RM treatment neither altered endothelium-dependent relaxation nor L-NAME-sensitive component of the response. Nevertheless, it was able to regulate COX-derived vasoactive products participation. Those effects may contribute to explain some of the cardiovascular protective actions elicited by this drug.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carmen Mingorance
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Seville, Seville, Spain
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Fowler CJ, Naidu PS, Lichtman A, Onnis V. The case for the development of novel analgesic agents targeting both fatty acid amide hydrolase and either cyclooxygenase or TRPV1. Br J Pharmacol 2009; 156:412-9. [PMID: 19226258 PMCID: PMC2697682 DOI: 10.1111/j.1476-5381.2008.00029.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2008] [Revised: 08/19/2008] [Accepted: 08/22/2008] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Although the dominant approach to drug development is the design of compounds selective for a given target, compounds targeting more than one biological process may have superior efficacy, or alternatively a better safety profile than standard selective compounds. Here, this possibility has been explored with respect to the endocannabinoid system and pain. Compounds inhibiting the enzyme fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH), by increasing local endocannabinoid tone, produce potentially useful effects in models of inflammatory and possibly neuropathic pain. Local increases in levels of the endocannabinoid anandamide potentiate the actions of cyclooxygenase inhibitors, raising the possibility that compounds inhibiting both FAAH and cyclooxygenase can be as effective as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs but with a reduced cyclooxygenase inhibitory 'load'. An ibuprofen analogue active in models of visceral pain and with FAAH and cyclooxygenase inhibitory properties has been identified. Another approach, built in to the experimental analgesic compound N-arachidonoylserotonin, is the combination of FAAH inhibitory and transient receptor potential vanilloid type 1 antagonist properties. Although finding the right balance of actions upon the two targets is a key to success, it is hoped that dual-action compounds of the types illustrated in this review will prove to be useful analgesic drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- C J Fowler
- Department of Pharmacology and Clinical Neuroscience, Umeå University, Sweden.
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Kase Y, Obata T, Okamoto Y, Iwai K, Saito K, Yokoyama K, Takinami M, Tanifuji Y. Removal of 2-arachidonylglycerol by direct hemoperfusion therapy with polymyxin B immobilized fibers benefits patients with septic shock. Ther Apher Dial 2009; 12:374-80. [PMID: 18937720 DOI: 10.1111/j.1744-9987.2008.00612.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Arachidonylethanolamide (AEA) and 2-arachidonylglycerol (2-AG) are endocannabinoids involved in septic shock, and 8-epi prostaglandin F2alpha (F2-isoprostane) is a biomarker of oxidative stress in biological systems. Because the antibiotic polymyxin B absorbs endocannabinoids as well as endotoxins, direct hemoperfusion therapy with polymyxin B-immobilized fibers (PMX-DHP) decreases serum levels of endocannabinoids. To investigate the features of sepsis and determine the proper use of PMX-DHP, we measured the changes in levels of endocannabinoids and F2-isoprostane in patients with septic shock. Twenty-six patients with septic shock, including those with septic shock induced by peritonitis, underwent laparotomy for drainage. Endocannabinoids absorption with PMX-DHP was examined in two groups of patients: patients whose mean arterial blood pressure (mABP) had increased more than 20 mm Hg (responder group; N = 13); and patients iwhose mABP did not increase or had increased no more than 20 mm Hg (non-responder group; N = 13). Levels of AEA did not change after PMX-DHP in either the non-responder or responder groups, whereas levels of 2-AG decreased significantly after PMX-DHP in the responder group, but not in the non-responder group. F2-isoprostane gradually increased after PMX-DHP treatment; on the other hand, levels of F2-isoprostane remained constant in the responder group. Patients with septic shock are under considerable oxidative stress, and 2-AG plays an important role in the cardiovascular status of these patients. The removal of 2-AG by PMX-DHP benefits patients with septic shock by stabilizing cardiovascular status and decreasing long-term oxidative stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoichi Kase
- Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
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Pelorosso FG, Gago JE, del Rey G, Menéndez SD, Errasti AE, Rothlin RP. The endocannabinoid anandamide inhibits kinin B1 receptor sensitization through cannabinoid CB1 receptor stimulation in human umbilical vein. Eur J Pharmacol 2009; 602:176-9. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2008.10.058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2008] [Revised: 10/07/2008] [Accepted: 10/29/2008] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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Malcher-Lopes R, Buzzi M. Glucocorticoid-regulated crosstalk between arachidonic acid and endocannabinoid biochemical pathways coordinates cognitive-, neuroimmune-, and energy homeostasis-related adaptations to stress. VITAMINS AND HORMONES 2009; 81:263-313. [PMID: 19647116 DOI: 10.1016/s0083-6729(09)81011-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Arachidonic acid and its derivatives constitute the major group of signaling molecules involved in the innate immune response and its communication with all cellular and systemic aspects involved on homeostasis maintenance. Glucocorticoids spread throughout the organism their influences over key enzymatic steps of the arachidonic acid biochemical pathways, leading, in the central nervous system, to a shift favoring the synthesis of anti-inflammatory endocannabinoids over proinflammatory metabolites, such as prostaglandins. This shift modifies local immune-inflammatory response and neuronal activity to ultimately coordinate cognitive, behavioral, neuroendocrine, neuroimmune, physiological, and metabolic adjustments to basal and stress conditions. In the hypothalamus, a reciprocal feedback between glucocorticoids and arachidonate-containing molecules provides a mechanism for homeostatic control. This neurochemical switch is susceptible to fine-tuning by neuropeptides, cytokines, and hormones, such as leptin and interleukin-1beta, assuring functional integration between energy homeostasis control and the immune/stress response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renato Malcher-Lopes
- Laboratory of Mass Spectrometry, EMBRAPA-Center for Genetic Resources and Biotechnology, Brasília-DF, Brazil
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Tóth A, Blumberg PM, Boczán J. Chapter 15 Anandamide and the Vanilloid Receptor (TRPV1). VITAMINS AND HORMONES 2009; 81:389-419. [DOI: 10.1016/s0083-6729(09)81015-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 86] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
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Inhibition of cyclooxygenase-2 and EP1 receptor antagonism reduces human colonic longitudinal muscle contractility in vitro. Prostaglandins Other Lipid Mediat 2008; 88:117-21. [PMID: 19126433 DOI: 10.1016/j.prostaglandins.2008.12.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2008] [Revised: 12/03/2008] [Accepted: 12/06/2008] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
We investigated the contribution of cyclo-oxygenase enzyme inhibition and prostamide agonism on human colonic contractility in vitro. The effects of the non-specific COX inhibitor diclofenac were compared against selective COX-2 inhibition via nimesulide, the prostanoid EP(1) receptor antagonist SC19220 or the prostaglandin prodrug/prostamide receptor agonist bimatoprost, on potency of contraction to acetylcholine in human colonic circular and longitudinal muscle strips. Pre-treatment with either nimesulide (10(-5)M) or diclofenac (10(-6)M) caused a significant decrease in the potency of acetylcholine-evoked longitudinal muscle contraction, but did not inhibit acetylcholine-evoked circular muscle contraction. Pre-treatment with the EP(1) receptor antagonist SC19220 (10(-5)M) similarly decreased cholinergic potency in longitudinal muscle, without influence on circular muscle contraction. The prostamide agonist bimatoprost (10(-6)M) increased basal circular and longitudinal muscle tone, but did not alter cholinergic potency in either muscle layer. In conclusion, colonic longitudinal muscle contraction is augmented by COX-2 activity, most likely via PGE(2) acting at EP(1) receptors. While colonic contraction is tonically modulated by bimatoprost, it does not share the same functional properties attributed to other endogenous COX-2 metabolites on colonic contractile function.
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Smid SD. Gastrointestinal endocannabinoid system: multifaceted roles in the healthy and inflamed intestine. Clin Exp Pharmacol Physiol 2008; 35:1383-7. [PMID: 18671715 DOI: 10.1111/j.1440-1681.2008.05016.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
1. The endogenous cannabinoid (endocannabinoid) system is emerging as a key modulator of intestinal physiology, influencing motility, secretion, epithelial integrity and immune function in the gut, in addition to influencing satiety and emesis. 2. Accumulating evidence suggests that the endocannabinoid system may play a pivotal role in the pathophysiology of gastrointestinal disease, particularly in the light of recent studies demonstrating an effect of endocannabinoids on the development of experimental inflammation and linkages with functional clinical disorders characterized by altered motility. 3. The predominant endocannabinoids, anandamide and 2-arachidonoylglycerol, not only mediate their effects via two recognized cannabinoid receptor subtypes, namely CB(1) and CB(2), but emerging evidence now shows they are also substrates for cyclo-oxygenase (COX)-2, generating a distinct and novel class of prostaglandin ethanolamides (prostamides) and prostaglandin glycerol esters. These compounds are bioactive and may mediate an array of biological effects distinct to those of conventional prostanoids. 4. The effects of prostamides on gastrointestinal motility, secretion, sensation and immune function have not been characterized extensively. Prostamides may play an important role in gastrointestinal inflammation, particularly given the enhanced expression of both COX-2 and endocannabinoids that occurs in the inflamed gut. 5. Further preclinical studies are needed to determine the therapeutic potential of drugs targeting the endocannabinoid system in functional and inflammatory gut disorders, to assist with the determination of feasibility for clinical translation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Scott D Smid
- Discipline of Pharmacology, School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
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Effectiveness of continuous hemodiafiltration using a polymethylmethacrylate membrane hemofilter after polymyxin B-immobilized fiber column therapy of septic shock. ASAIO J 2008; 54:129-32. [PMID: 18204329 DOI: 10.1097/mat.0b013e31815d2f01] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Septic shock is a condition associated with diffuse coagulopathy and multiple organ failure, and frequently ends in death. Direct hemoperfusion using a polymyxin B-immobilized fiber column (DHP-PMX) was first developed in Japan in 1994 and has since been used for the treatment of septic shock. On the other hand, the effectiveness of continuous hemodiafiltration using a polymethylmethacrylate membrane hemofilter (PMMA- CHDF) for critically ill patients has also been reported. We treated 27 septic shock patients by DHP-PMX. The patients, except for the nine in whom CHDF was not performed after DHP-PMX, were divided into two groups: namely, a group in which PMMA-CHDF therapy was added after DHP-PMX (11 cases), and a group in which continuous hemodiafiltration using a polyacrylonitrile membrane hemofilter (PAN-CHDF) therapy was added after DHP-PMX (7 cases). The outcomes in the two groups were compared. The average Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II score and the average sepsis-related organ failure assessment (SOFA) score were not significantly different between the two groups. The PMMA-CHDF group showed significantly better outcomes, with significant improvements of the serum PAI-1, protein C, IL-6 and N-arachidonoylethanolamine (AEA) levels. We conclude that PMMA-CHDF may be more effective than PAN-CHDF in the management of septic shock.
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Rakotoniaina Z, Guerard P, Lirussi F, Rochette L, Dumas M, Goirand F, Bardou M. Celecoxib but not the combination of celecoxib+atorvastatin prevents the development of monocrotaline-induced pulmonary hypertension in the rat. Naunyn Schmiedebergs Arch Pharmacol 2008; 378:241-51. [PMID: 18542928 DOI: 10.1007/s00210-008-0298-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2007] [Accepted: 04/07/2008] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
The present study aimed to assess the effects of a COX-2 inhibitor, celecoxib, a HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor, atorvastatin, and the association of both on monocrotaline (MC)-induced pulmonary hypertension in rats. Celecoxib (Cib, 25 mg kg(-1) day(-1)), atorvastatin (AS, 10 mg kg(-1) day(-1)) or vehicle, were given orally, separately or in combination, for 26 days to Wistar male rats injected or not with MC (60 mg/kg intraperitoneally). At 4 weeks, MC-injected rats developed a severe pulmonary hypertension, with an increase in lung to body weight ratio (L/BW), right ventricular pressure (RVP in mmHg, 31 +/- 3 and 14 +/- 1 for MC and control groups, respectively, P < 0.05) and right ventricle/left ventricle + septum weight ratio (RV/LV+S) associated with a decrease in acetylcholine- and sodium-nitroprusside-induced pulmonary artery vasodilation in vitro. Hypertensive pulmonary arteries exhibited an increase in wall thickness (wall thickness to external diameter ratio, 0.42 +/- 0.01 vs 0.24 +/- 0.01 for MC and control groups, respectively, P < 0.001). Whole lung eNOS expression was decreased, and an increase in apoptosis, evaluated by cleaved caspase-3 expression, was evidenced by Western blotting. Cib (RVP in mmHg, 19 +/- 3 and 31 +/- 3 for MC+Cib and MC groups, respectively, P < 0.05), but neither AS nor AS+Cib significantly limited the development of pulmonary hypertension (P < 0.05), although the three treatments exhibited protective effects against MC-induced lung and right ventricle hypertrophy evaluated by L/BW and RV/(LV+S) ratios, respectively (P < 0.05). AS, Cib and AS+Cib treatments reduced MC-induced thickening of small intrapulmonary artery wall (0.42 +/- 0.01, 0.24 +/- 0.01, 0.26 +/- 0.01 and 0.28 +/- 0.01 for MC, MC+AS, MC+Cib and MC+AS+Cib groups, respectively, P < 0.001). In control rats, Cib reduced acetylcholine-induced pulmonary artery vasorelaxation. Treatment of MC rats by either Cib or AS did not modify acetylcholine-induced pulmonary artery relaxation, whereas combination of both drugs significantly worsened it (P < 0.05). AS, but neither Cib nor the combination of both, prevented apoptosis (AS, P < 0.05) and partially restored eNOS expression (AS, P < 0.05) in whole lung of MC rats. In conclusion, celecoxib exhibited beneficial effects against the development of monocrotaline-induced pulmonary artery hypertension and right ventricular hypertrophy. These beneficial effects of celecoxib might be, at least partly, explained by its effects on pulmonary artery thickening and pulmonary hypertrophy, even if it did not show any effect on pulmonary artery vasorelaxation and whole lung eNOS expression or apoptosis. The combination of celecoxib and atorvastatin was unable to prevent MC-induced pulmonary hypertension, decreased endothelium-dependent vasorelaxation and showed a trend toward an increased in RVP that deserves further studies.
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Malcher-Lopes R, Franco A, Tasker JG. Glucocorticoids shift arachidonic acid metabolism toward endocannabinoid synthesis: a non-genomic anti-inflammatory switch. Eur J Pharmacol 2008; 583:322-39. [PMID: 18295199 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2007.12.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2007] [Revised: 12/12/2007] [Accepted: 12/16/2007] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Glucocorticoids are capable of exerting both genomic and non-genomic actions in target cells of multiple tissues, including the brain, which trigger an array of electrophysiological, metabolic, secretory and inflammatory regulatory responses. Here, we have attempted to show how glucocorticoids may generate a rapid anti-inflammatory response by promoting arachidonic acid-containing endocannabinoids biosynthesis. According to our hypothesized model, non-genomic action of glucocorticoids results in the global shift of membrane lipid metabolism, subverting metabolic pathways toward the synthesis of the anti-inflammatory endocannabinoids, anandamide (AEA) and 2-arachidonoyl-glycerol (2-AG), and away from arachidonic acid production. Post-transcriptional inhibition of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX(2)) synthesis by glucocorticoids assists this mechanism by suppressing the synthesis of pro-inflammatory prostaglandins as well as endocannabinoid-derived prostanoids. In the central nervous system (CNS) this may represent a major neuroprotective system, which may cross-talk with leptin signaling in the hypothalamus allowing for the coordination between energy homeostasis and the inflammatory response.
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Identification of the vasodilatory endothelial cannabinoid receptor in the human pulmonary artery. J Hypertens 2008; 25:2240-8. [PMID: 17921818 DOI: 10.1097/hjh.0b013e3282ef7a0a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The endocannabinoid anandamide is implicated in the pathogenesis of hypotension in haemorrhagic, endotoxic, and cardiogenic shock. It has been demonstrated in animal, but not in human, vessels that the vasodilatory effects of anandamide and abnormal cannabidiol are partially mediated by an as yet unidentified endothelial cannabinoid receptor. Our study was performed to examine the influence of abnormal cannabidiol on the human pulmonary artery. METHODS Isolated human pulmonary arteries were obtained from patients without clinical evidence of pulmonary hypertension during resection of lung carcinoma. Vasodilatory effects of abnormal cannabidiol were examined on endothelium-intact vessels preconstricted with serotonin or potassium chloride. RESULTS Anandamide and abnormal cannabidiol relaxed serotonin-preconstricted vessels concentration-dependently. The effect of abnormal cannabidiol was reduced by endothelium denudation, pertussis toxin and two antagonists of the novel endothelial receptor, cannabidiol and O-1918, but not by the nitric oxide synthase inhibitor L-NAME given together with the cyclooxygenase inhibitor indomethacin. It was also diminished by blockade of calcium-activated potassium channels by the nonselective blocker tetraethylammonium or by combination of selective blockers of small (apamin) and intermediate and large (charybdotoxin) conductance calcium-activated potassium channels. The potency of abnormal cannabidiol to relax vessels was lower in potassium chloride than in serotonin-preconstriced preparations. CONCLUSIONS Abnormal cannabidiol relaxes human pulmonary arteries in an endothelium-independent and endothelium-dependent manner. The latter component is probably mediated via the putative endothelial cannabinoid receptor, activation of which may release endothelium-derived hyperpolarizing factor, which in turn acts via calcium-activated potassium channels. Abnormal cannabidiol is behaviourally inactive; it may have a therapeutic implication in vascular diseases, especially in the treatment of pulmonary hypertension.
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Fowler CJ. The contribution of cyclooxygenase-2 to endocannabinoid metabolism and action. Br J Pharmacol 2007; 152:594-601. [PMID: 17618306 PMCID: PMC2190012 DOI: 10.1038/sj.bjp.0707379] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2007] [Revised: 06/13/2007] [Accepted: 06/14/2007] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
The development of sensitive analytical methods for measurement of endocannabinoids, their metabolites, and related lipids, has underlined the complexity of the endocannabinoid system. A case can be made for an 'endocannabinoid soup' (akin to the inflammatory soup) whereby the net effect of a pathological state and/or a pharmacological intervention on this system is the result not only of changes in endocannabinoid levels but also of their metabolites and related compounds that affect their function. With respect to the metabolism of anandamide and 2-arachidonoylglycerol, the main hydrolytic enzymes involved are fatty acid amide hydrolase and monoacylglycerol lipase. However, other pathways can come into play when these are blocked. Cyclooxygenase-2 derived metabolites of anandamide and 2-arachidonoylglycerol have a number of properties, including effects upon cell viability, contraction of the cat iris sphincter (an effect mediated by a novel receptor), mobilization of calcium and modulation of synaptic transmission. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents, whose primary mode of action is the inhibition of cyclooxygenase, can also interact with the endocannabinoid system both in vitro and in vivo. Other enzymes, such as the lipoxygenase and cytochrome P450 oxidative enzymes, can also metabolize endocannabinoids and produce biologically active compounds. It is concluded that sensitive analytical methods, which allow for measurement of endocannabinoids and related lipids, should provide vital information as to the importance of these alternative metabolic pathways when the primary hydrolytic endocannabinoid metabolizing enzymes are inhibited.
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Affiliation(s)
- C J Fowler
- Department of Pharmacology and Clinical Neuroscience, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.
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Sakamoto Y, Mashiko K, Obata T, Matsumoto H, Hara Y, Kutsukata N, Yamamoto Y. Clinical responses and improvement of some laboratory parameters following polymyxin B-immobilized fiber treatment in septic shock. ASAIO J 2007; 53:646-50. [PMID: 17885340 DOI: 10.1097/mat.0b013e3181492395] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Direct hemoperfusion using a polymyxin B-immobilized fiber column (PMX; Toray Industries Inc., Tokyo, Japan) was first developed in 1994 and has since been used for the treatment of septic shock. Positive clinical data, such as an increase in systolic blood pressure (SBP) and an improved Pao2/Fio2 ratio, have also been reported. We treated 27 septic shock patients using DHP-PMX. The patients were separated into two groups for analysis: those whose Pao2/Fio2 ratio increased after DHP-PMX (9 cases) and those whose Pao2/Fio2 ratio did not increase after DHP-PMX (18 cases). The patients were also separated into two other groups for analysis: those whose SBP increased by more than 30 mm Hg immediately after DHP-PMX (15 cases) and those whose SBP did not increase by more than 30 mm Hg after DHP-PMX (12 cases). The Pao2/Fio2 ratio increased significantly after DHP-PMX in the groups showing improved 2AG and PAI-1 levels (p = 0.0040). The SBP increased significantly in the group showing improved HMGB-1 levels (p < 0.0001). We observed a relationship between hemodynamic improvement and increase of the serum HMGB-1 levels and between improvement of respiratory functions and increase of the serum 2-AG and PAI-1 levels in septic shock patients treated with DHP-PMX.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuichiro Sakamoto
- Department of Emergency and Critical Care Medicine, Chiba-Hokusoh Hospital, Nippon Medical School, Inba-Gun, Chiba, Japan
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Saitoh C, Kitada C, Uchida W, Chancellor MB, de Groat WC, Yoshimura N. The differential contractile responses to capsaicin and anandamide in muscle strips isolated from the rat urinary bladder. Eur J Pharmacol 2007; 570:182-7. [PMID: 17586490 PMCID: PMC2042539 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2007.05.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2006] [Revised: 05/08/2007] [Accepted: 05/16/2007] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
The contractile responses to capsaicin and anandamide, exogenous and endogenous agonists for transient receptor potential vanilloid receptor 1 (TRPV1), respectively, were investigated in muscle strips isolated from the rat urinary bladder. Capsaicin and anandamide produced concentration-dependent contractions of the muscle strips. The contractile response induced by capsaicin disappeared within approximately 20 min. In contrast, anandamide produced contractile responses lasting at least for 30 min. Capsaicin produced additive contractile responses in anandamide-treated muscle strips. The contractile response to anandamide was attenuated, but not abolished in strips desensitized by capsaicin. The response to capsaicin was abolished in the presence of a TRPV1 antagonist, N-(4-tertiarybutylphenyl)-4-(3-chlorphyridin-2-yl)tetrahydropyrazine-1(2H)-carbox-amide (BCTC), but not altered in the presence of either tetrodotoxin, atropine or indomethacin. In the presence of SR140333, a tachykinin NK(1) receptor antagonist or SR48968, an NK(2) receptor antagonist, the response to capsaicin was attenuated. The response to anandamide was partially attenuated in the presence of ONO8130, a prostanoid EP(1) receptor antagonist, URB597, a fatty-acid amide hydrolase inhibitor, BCTC, SR140333 or SR48968, and almost completely abolished by indomethacin. Neither tetrodotoxin, atropine, a cannabinoid CB(1) receptor antagonist, AM251, nor a cannabinoid CB(2) receptor antagonist, AM630, had any effect on the response to anandamide. These results indicate that capsaicin produces muscle contractions by stimulating the TRPV1 receptor, followed by release of neuropeptides that can activate tachykinin NK(1) and/or NK(2) receptors in the bladder and that the contractile response to anandamide is mediated at least in part by activation of prostanoid EP(1) receptors due to production of prostaglandins in addition to TRPV1 receptor activation.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- Arachidonic Acids/pharmacology
- Cannabinoid Receptor Modulators/pharmacology
- Capsaicin/pharmacology
- Endocannabinoids
- In Vitro Techniques
- Male
- Muscle Contraction/drug effects
- Muscle, Smooth/drug effects
- Muscle, Smooth/physiology
- Polyunsaturated Alkamides/pharmacology
- Rats
- Rats, Sprague-Dawley
- Receptor, Cannabinoid, CB1/agonists
- Receptor, Cannabinoid, CB2/agonists
- Receptor, Cannabinoid, CB2/antagonists & inhibitors
- Receptors, Prostaglandin E/agonists
- Receptors, Prostaglandin E, EP1 Subtype
- TRPV Cation Channels/agonists
- TRPV Cation Channels/antagonists & inhibitors
- Urinary Bladder/drug effects
- Urinary Bladder/physiology
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Affiliation(s)
- Chikashi Saitoh
- Pharmacology Laboratories, Astellas Pharma Inc., 21 Miyukigaoka, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305–8585 Japan
- Department of Urology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, USA
| | - Chika Kitada
- Pharmacology Laboratories, Astellas Pharma Inc., 21 Miyukigaoka, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305–8585 Japan
| | - Wataru Uchida
- Pharmacology Laboratories, Astellas Pharma Inc., 21 Miyukigaoka, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305–8585 Japan
| | - Michael B. Chancellor
- Department of Urology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, USA
| | - William C. de Groat
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, USA
| | - Naoki Yoshimura
- Department of Urology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, USA
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, USA
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Ho WSV, Randall MD. Endothelium-dependent metabolism by endocannabinoid hydrolases and cyclooxygenases limits vasorelaxation to anandamide and 2-arachidonoylglycerol. Br J Pharmacol 2007; 150:641-51. [PMID: 17245358 PMCID: PMC1942073 DOI: 10.1038/sj.bjp.0707141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The endocannabinoids, N-arachidonoylethanolamide (anandamide) and 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) are rapidly degraded by fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) and monoacylglycerol lipase (MGL). Whilst these lipid mediators are known to modulate vascular tone, the extent to which they are inactivated via local metabolism in the vasculature remains unclear. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH In rat isolated small mesenteric arteries, the regulatory role of FAAH, MGL and cyclooxygenase (COX) in relaxant responses to anandamide and 2-AG was evaluated by using inhibitors of these enzymes. Relaxations to non-hydrolysable analogues of endocannabinoids and arachidonic acid were also examined. KEY RESULTS Relaxation to anandamide but not 2-AG was potentiated by the selective FAAH inhibitor, URB597 (1 microM). In contrast, MAFP (10 microM; an inhibitor of FAAH and MGL) enhanced responses to both anandamide and 2-AG. Inhibition of COX-1 by indomethacin (10 microM) potentiated relaxations to 2-AG, whereas inhibition of COX-2 by nimesulide (10 microM) potentiated anandamide-induced relaxation. With the exception of MAFP, effects of FAAH and COX inhibitors were dependent on the endothelium. Relaxation to methanandamide and noladin ether, the non-hydrolysable analogues of anandamide and 2-AG respectively, were insensitive to the enzyme inhibitors. CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS This study shows that local activity of FAAH, MGL and COX, which is present largely in the endothelium, limits the vasodilator action of endocannabinoids in rat small mesenteric arteries. Despite the differential roles played by these enzymes on relaxation to anandamide versus 2-AG, our results suggest that inhibitors of these enzymes enhance the vascular impact of endocannabinoids.
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Affiliation(s)
- W-S V Ho
- School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Nottingham Medical School, Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham, UK.
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Richardson D, Ortori CA, Chapman V, Kendall DA, Barrett DA. Quantitative profiling of endocannabinoids and related compounds in rat brain using liquid chromatography-tandem electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. Anal Biochem 2006; 360:216-26. [PMID: 17141174 DOI: 10.1016/j.ab.2006.10.039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 139] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2006] [Revised: 10/25/2006] [Accepted: 10/25/2006] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
A sensitive and specific liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method is described for the simultaneous identification and quantification of eight endocannabinoid (EC) or related "entourage" compounds in rat brain tissue. Analytes were extracted and purified from rat brain tissue using an ethyl acetate/hexane solvent extraction, followed by a solid phase extraction (SPE) protocol. Chromatographic separation was achieved using a gradient elution, with a mobile phase of acetonitrile, formic acid, and ammonium acetate, at pH 3.6. A Thermo Hypersil C8 HyPurity Advance column (100x2.1 mm i.d., 3 microm) was used with a flow rate of 0.3 ml/min). Anandamide (AEA), 2-arachidonyl glycerol (2-AG), 2-arachidonylglyceryl ether (noladin ether), O-arachidonyl ethanolamide (virodhamine), 2-linoleoyl glycerol (2-LG), arachidonyl glycine, oleoyl ethanolamide (OEA), and palmitoyl ethanolamide (PEA) were quantified by positive ion tandem electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. Internal standards were deuterated AEA, deuterated 2-AG, and heptadecanoyl ethanolamide (HEA). Linearity was proven over the range of 25 fmol to 250 pmol, with a limit of detection of 25 fmol on column for all analytes except 2-AG, noladin ether, and 2-LG (250 fmol). This corresponded to a limit of quantification in biological tissue of 10 pmol/g for all analytes except 2-AG (100 pmol/g). Intra- and interday precision in biological tissue was routinely approximately 20% or lower, and accuracy was between 65% and 155%. This method was used to quantitatively profile regional differences in nine discrete rat brain regions for AEA, 2-AG, 2-LG, OEA, PEA, noladin ether, virodhamine, and arachidonyl glycine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Denise Richardson
- Center for Analytical Bioscience, School of Pharmacy, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK
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Jonsson KO, Holt S, Fowler CJ. The endocannabinoid system: current pharmacological research and therapeutic possibilities. Basic Clin Pharmacol Toxicol 2006; 98:124-34. [PMID: 16445584 DOI: 10.1111/j.1742-7843.2006.pto_376.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
In the relatively short period of time since the discovery of cannabinoid receptors and their endogenous ligands, the endocannabinoids, an intensive research effort has resulted in the identification of agents that affect all aspects of the endocannabinoid system. The cannabinoid(1) receptor antagonist rimonabant is in phase III clinical trials for the treatment of obesity and as an aid to smoking cessation, and cannabinoid(2) receptor agonists are promising in animal models of inflammatory and neuropathic pain. In the present MiniReview, the endocannabinoid system is described from a pharmacological perspective. The main topics covered are: the mechanism of action of cannabinoid(2) receptor agonists; identification of the endocannabinoid(s) involved in retrograde signalling; the elusive mechanism(s) of endocannabinoid uptake; therapeutic possibilities for fatty acid amide hydrolase inhibitors; and the cyclooxygenase-2 and lipoxygenase-derived biologically active metabolites of the endocannabinoids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kent-Olov Jonsson
- Department of Pharmacology and Clinical Neuroscience, Umeå University, SE-901 87 Umeå, Sweden
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