Cannabinoids

Less than 20 years ago the ?eld of cannabis and the cannabinoids was still c- sidered a minor, somewhat quaint, area of research. A few groups were active in the ?eld, but it was already being viewed as stagnating. The chemistry of cannabis 9 9 was well known, ? -tetrahydrocannabinol (? -THC), identi?ed in 1964, being the only major psychoactive constituent and cannabidiol, which is not psychoactive, possibly contributing to some of the effects. These cannabinoids and several s- thetic analogs had been thoroughly investigated for their pharmacological effects. Their mode of action was considered to be non-speci?c. The reasons for this - sumption were both technical and conceptual. On the technical side, it had been shown that THC was active in both enantiomeric forms (though with a different level of potency) and this observation was incompatible with action on biological substrates-a receptor, an enzyme, an ion channel-which react with a single stereoisomer only. The conceptual problem related to THC activity. This had been pointed out by several highly regarded research groups that had shown that many of the effects seen with cannabinoids were related to those of biologically active lipophiles, and that many of the effects of THC, particularly chronic ones, were comparable to those seen with anaesthetics and solvents.

Contenu
Pharmacological Actions of Cannabinoids.- Cannabinoid Receptor Signaling.- Molecular Biology of Cannabinoid Receptors.- Analysis of the Endocannabinoid System by Using CB1 Cannabinoid Receptor Knockout Mice.- The Biosynthesis, Fate and Pharmacological Properties of Endocannabinoids.- Modulators of Endocannabinoid Enzymic Hydrolysis and Membrane Transport.- Structural Requirements for Cannabinoid Receptor Probes.- Cannabinoid Receptors and Their Ligands: LigandLigand and LigandReceptor Modeling Approaches.- The Phylogenetic Distribution and Evolutionary Origins of Endocannabinoid Signalling.- Distribution of Cannabinoid Receptors in the Central and Peripheral Nervous System.- Effects of Cannabinoids on Neurotransmission.- Retrograde Signalling by Endocannabinoids.- Effects on the Immune System.- Imaging of the Brain Cannabinoid System.- Cannabinoid Function in Learning, Memory and Plasticity.- Cannabinoid Control of Motor Function at the Basal Ganglia.- Cannabinoid Mechanisms of Pain Suppression.- Effects of Cannabinoids on Hypothalamic and Reproductive Function.- Cannabinoids and the Digestive Tract.- Cardiovascular Pharmacology of Cannabinoids.- Effects on Cell Viability.- Effects on Development.- Pharmacokinetics and Metabolism of the Plant Cannabinoids, ?9-Tetrahydrocannibinol, Cannabidiol and Cannabinol.- Cannabinoid Tolerance and Dependence.- Human Studies of Cannabinoids and Medicinal Cannabis.