Table Of ContentCannabinoids in Health and Disease
Edited by Rosaria Meccariello
and Rosanna Chianese
Cannabinoids in Health and Disease
Edited by Rosaria Meccariello and Rosanna Chianese
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C ontents
Preface
Chapter 1 The Endocannabinoid System in Human Physiology
by Rosanna Chianese and Rosaria Meccariello
Chapter 2 Endocannabinoid Signaling in Neural Circuits of the
Olfactory and Limbic System
by Thomas Heinbockel, Ze-Jun Wang, Edward A. Brown and Paul T.
Austin
Chapter 3 The Potential Therapeutic Role of the Cannabinoid
System in Neurological Disorders of the Basal Ganglia: An Overview
by Gabriela Aguilera and Abel Santamaría
Chapter 4 Cannabinoids and Motor Control of the Basal Ganglia:
Therapeutic Potential in Movement Disorders
by Teresa Morera-Herreras, Cristina Miguelez, Asier Aristieta, María
Torrecilla, José Ángel Ruiz-Ortega and Luisa Ugedo
Chapter 5 Therapeutic Potential of Nonpsychoactive
Cannabinoids by Targeting at Glycine Receptors
by Li Zhang
Chapter 6 Dietary Omega-6/Omega-3 and Endocannabinoids:
Implications for Brain Health and Diseases
by Clémentine Bosch-Bouju and Sophie Layé
Chapter 7 The Endocannabinoid-Like Derivative
Oleoylethanolamide at the Gut–Brain Interface: A “Lipid Way” to Control
Energy Intake and Body Weight
by Maria Beatrice Passani and Roberto Coccurello
VI Contents
Chapter 8 Cannabinoid CB1/CB2 Receptors in the Heart:
Expression, Regulation, and Function
by Elena Kaschina
Chapter 9 The Role for the Endocannabinoid System in
Cardioprotection and Myocardial Adaptation
by Oliver Dewald and Georg D. Duerr
Chapter 10 Cannabinoids: Drug or Medication?
by Léa Giron and Katia Befort
Preface
This book provides a comprehensive overview of current knowledge
of cannabinoid activity in human physiology and points out the
importance of endocannabinoid system for the maintenance of
human health and treatment of diseases.
Each chapter has been organized with the aim to cover basic
concepts in the modulation of endocannabinoid system in both
physiological and pathological conditions, thanks to the integration
of data from experimental animal models and clinical observations.
A special focus has been put on the medical use of cannabinoids
and on the targeting of endocannabinoid system as new therapeutic
strategy for the prevention and treatment of human diseases.
Taken together, this book targets a wide audience of basic and
clinical scientists, teachers and students interested in gaining a
better understanding in the field of cannabinoids.
Chapter 1
The Endocannabinoid System in Human Physiology
Rosanna Chianese and Rosaria Meccariello
Additional information is available at the end of the chapter
http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/63818
1. Endocannabinoid system (ECS)
The identification of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC) in 1964 by Gaoni and Mechoulam [1]
as the principal biologically active component of Cannabis sativa has implicated the indispen‐
sable need to unveil the pharmacology of such a molecule and the correlated mechanisms of
action. Since then, the subsequent identification of two G-protein-coupled cannabinoid
receptors, CB1 [2] and CB2 [3], able to mediate Δ9-THC effects. The existence of endogenous
ligands that share many effects of the Δ9-THC allows to formulate the attractive hypothesis that
an endocannabinoid system (ECS) may play a pivotal role in a variety of centrally and periph‐
erally regulated physiological processes. A plethora of endocannabinoids has been discov‐
ered starting from the anandamide [AEA, 4] and 2-arachidonoylglycerol [2-AG, 5] toward; they
bind to CB1, CB2, or other cannabinoid receptors. In this regard, a role of GPR119 [6] and GPR55
[7] in endocannabinoid signal transduction has been suggested a long time ago; intriguingly,
some endocannabinoids—such as the AEA—also bind to type 1 vanilloid receptor [TRPV1, 8]
and to peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ [PPARγ, 9], as well as 2-AG binds to specific
γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptor (A) subtypes in neuronal cells [10], thus making more
intricate the network of the endocannabinoid activated pathways.
Endocannabinoid tone is finely regulated by a highly organized system of biosynthesis and
degradation enzymes that are integral part of ECS. The main pathways of AEA biosynthesis
and degradation depend on the activity of the N-arachidonoyl-phosphatidylethanolamine
phospholipase D (Nape-PLD) [11] and the fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) [12], respective‐
ly. Two diacylglycerol lipases (DAGLα and DAGLβ) enzymes are involved in 2-AG biosyn‐
thesis [13], whereas monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL) and to a lesser extend FAAH metabolizes
it [14]. The biological activity of endocannabinoids is finely regulated by mechanisms of
intracellular uptake. In this respect, many doubts still exist and several hypotheses have been
formulated. AEA transport, for instance, may occur by passive and/or facilitated diffusion, this
last by an hypothetical endocannabinoid membrane transporter whose chemical identity
