Cannabigerol is a novel, well-tolerated appetite stimulant in pre-satiated rats.

 

“The appetite-stimulating properties of cannabis are well documented and have been predominantly attributed to the hyperphagic activity of the psychoactive phytocannabinoid, ∆9-tetrahydrocannabinol (∆9-THC).

However, we have previously shown that a cannabis extract devoid of ∆9-THC still stimulates appetite, indicating that other phytocannabinoids also elicit hyperphagia. One possible candidate is the non-psychoactive phytocannabinoid cannabigerol (CBG), which has affinity for several molecular targets with known involvement in the regulation of feeding behaviour.

CBG produced no adverse effects on any parameter in the neuromotor tolerability test battery. In the feeding assay, 120-240 mg/kg CBG more than doubled total food intake and increased the number of meals consumed, and at 240 mg/kg reduced latency to feed. However, the sizes or durations of individual meals were not significantly increased.

CONCLUSIONS:

Here, we demonstrate for the first time that CBG elicits hyperphagia, by reducing latency to feed and increasing meal frequency, without producing negative neuromotor side effects. Investigation of the therapeutic potential of CBG for conditions such as cachexia and other disorders of eating and body weight regulation is thus warranted.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27503475

The Effect of Muscarinic Receptor Modulators on the Antinociception Induced by CB2 Receptor Agonist, JWH133 in Mice.

“There is no published study regarding the interaction between muscarinic receptor modulators and antinociception induced by cannabinoidreceptor (CB2) agonist. The effect of pilocarpine (a muscarinic agonist) and atropine (a muscarinic antagonist) on JWH-133 (a CB2 agonist) induced analgesia in mice was studied. First the analgesic effect of JWH-133 (0.001-1 mg/Kg) or pilocarpine (2.5-20 mg/kg) or atropine (0.2-5 mg/kg) was evaluated. Subsequently, the effect of co-administration of pilocarpine (2.5 mg/kg) or atropine (5 mg/kg) and JWH-133 (0.001-1 mg/Kg) were studied too. JWH-133 and pilocarpine provoked antinociception in mice but atropine did not. Pilocarpine potentiated the analgesic effect of JWH-133 but atropine antagonized that. It can be concluded that JWH-133 induced antinociception is affected by muscarinic receptor modulators in mice.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27504865

The impact of drugs for multiple sclerosis on sleep.

“Although there is a growing literature on the presence of sleep disorders in multiple sclerosis (MS), few studies have specifically addressed the impact of drugs on sleep of these patients. Moreover, even when sleep is considered, quantitative assessment by standardized questionnaires or polysomnography is lacking.

The studies that have been done highlight that interferon-beta and some symptomatic medications may affect sleep, thus contributing to fatigue, depression, and poor quality of life; conversely, natalizumab and cannabinoids may improve sleep.

Common limitations of the literature reviewed here are small sample size, selection bias, and often a lack of objective outcome measures. Clinicians need to remember to ask about sleep in all MS patients and intervene when appropriate. A systematic approach that takes sleep into account is recommended to enhance recognition and appropriate management of sleep disruption, including disorders related to medication. Consideration of the impact on sleep should also be part of the design of trials of new therapies.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27503906

Endocannabinoid signaling enhances visual responses through modulation of intracellular chloride levels in retinal ganglion cells.

 

“Type 1 cannabinoid receptors (CB1Rs) are widely expressed in the vertebrate retina but the role of endocannabinoids in vision is not fully understood. Here we identified a novel mechanism underlying a CB1R-mediated increase in retinal ganglion cell (RGC) intrinsic excitability acting through AMPK-dependent inhibition of NKCC1 activity.

Clomeleon imaging and patch clamp recordings revealed that inhibition of NKCC1 downstream of CB1R activation reduces intracellular Cl levels in RGCs, hyperpolarizing the resting membrane potential. We confirmed that such hyperpolarization enhances RGC action potential firing in response to subsequent depolarization, consistent with the increased intrinsic excitability of RGCs observed with CB1R activation.

Using a dot avoidance assay in freely swimming Xenopus tadpoles we demonstrate that CB1R activation markedly improves visual contrast sensitivity under low light conditions.

These results highlight a role for endocannabinoids in vision, and present a novel mechanism for cannabinoid modulation of neuronal activity through Cl regulation.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27501334

Mice Expressing a “Hyper-Sensitive” Form of the Cannabinoid Receptor 1 (CB1) Are Neither Obese Nor Diabetic.

“Multiple lines of evidence implicate the endocannabinoid signaling system in the modulation of metabolic disease.

Genetic or pharmacological inactivation of CB1 in rodents leads to reduced body weight, resistance to diet-induced obesity, decreased intake of highly palatable food, and increased energy expenditure.

Cannabinoid agonists stimulate feeding in rodents and increased levels of endocannabinoids can disrupt lipid metabolism. Therefore, the hypothesis that sustained endocannabinoid signaling can lead to obesity and diabetes was examined in this study using S426A/S430A mutant mice expressing a desensitization-resistant CB1 receptor.

These mice display exaggerated and prolonged responses to acute administration of phytocannabinoids, synthetic cannabinoids, and endocannabinoids. As a consequence these mice represent a novel model for determining the effect of enhanced endocannabinoid signaling on metabolic disease.

Our results indicate that S426A/S430A mutant mice expressing the desensitization-resistant form of CB1 do not exhibit differences in body weight, food intake, glucose homeostasis, or re-feeding following a fast.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27501235

Pure Δ9-tetrahydrocannabivarin and a Cannabis sativa extract with high content in Δ9-tetrahydrocannabivarin inhibit nitrite production in murine peritoneal macrophages.

“Historical and scientific evidence suggests that Cannabis use has immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory effects.

We have here investigated the effect of the non-psychotropic phytocannabinoid Δ9-tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV) and of a Cannabis sativa extract with high (64.8%) content in THCV (THCV-BDS) on nitric oxide (NO) production, and on cannabinoid and transient receptor potential (TRP) channel expression in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated murine peritoneal macrophages.

THCV-BDS and THCV exhibited similar affinity in radioligand binding assays for CB1 and CB2 receptors, and inhibited, via CB2 but not CB1 cannabinoid receptors, nitrite production evoked by LPS in peritoneal macrophages.

THCV down-regulated the over-expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and interleukin 1β (IL-1β) proteins induced by LPS.

Furthermore, THCV counteracted LPS-induced up-regulation of CB1 receptors, without affecting the changes in CB2, TRPV2 or TRPV4 mRNA expression caused by LPS. Other TRP channels, namely, TRPA1, TRPV1, TRPV3 and TRPM8 were poorly expressed or undetectable in both unstimulated and LPS-challenged macrophages.

It is concluded that THCV – via CB2 receptor activation – inhibits nitrite production in macrophages. The effect of this phytocannabinoid was associated with a down-regulation of CB1, but not CB2 or TRP channel mRNA expression.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27498155

Inhibition of interleukin-8 release in the human colonic epithelial cell line HT-29 by cannabinoids.

 

“We have investigated the effects of cannabinoid agonists and antagonists on tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha)-induced secretion of interleukin-8 from the colonic epithelial cell line, HT-29.

The cannabinoid receptor agonists [(-)-3-[2-hydroxy-4-(1,1-dimethyl-heptyl)-phenyl]4-[3-hydroxypropyl]cyclo-hexan-1-ol] (CP55,940); Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol; [R(+)-[2,3-dihydro-5-methyl-3-[(morpholinyl) methyl] pyrrolo[1,2,3-de]1,4-benzoxazin-6-yl](1-naphthyl) methanone mesylate] (WIN55,212-2) and 1-propyl-2-methyl-3-naphthoyl-indole (JWH 015) inhibited TNF-alpha induced release of interleukin-8 in a concentration-dependent manner.

We conclude that in HT-29 cells, TNF-alpha-induced interleukin-8 release is inhibited by cannabinoids through activation of cannabinoid CB(2) receptors.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12498928

“Essential involvement of interleukin-8 (IL-8) in acute inflammation.”  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7964163

“Interleukin-8 (IL-8) is known to possess tumorigenic and proangiogenic properties. Overexpression of IL-8 has been detected in many human tumors, including colorectal cancer (CRC). IL-8 promotes tumor growth, metastasis, chemoresistance and angiogenesis, implying IL-8 to be an important therapeutic target in CRC.”  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20648559

Cannabinoid signalling in TNF-alpha induced IL-8 release.

“The molecular events mediating the immunomodulatory properties of cannabinoids have remained largely unresolved.

We have therefore investigated the molecular mechanism(s) through which R-(+)-[2,3-dihydro-5-methyl-3-[(morpholinyl)methyl] pyrrolo[1,2,3-de]-1,4-benzoxazinyl]-(1-napthanlenyl) methanone (WIN55212-2) modulate production of interleukin-8 (IL-8) in HT-29 cells.

Release of IL-8 induced by tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Changes in expression of inhibitory kappa B (IkappaB) were monitored by Western blotting and activation of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kappaB) was determined in electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSAs).

TNF-alpha induced release of IL-8 was inhibited by WIN55212-2 which also blocked the degradation of IkappaB-alpha and activation of NF-kappaB induced by TNF-alpha.

These data provide strong evidence that WIN55212-2 may modulate IL-8 release by negatively regulating the signaling cascade leading to the activation of NF-kappaB.

These findings highlight a potential mechanism for the immunomodulatory properties of cannabinoids and contribute towards acquiring a clear understanding of the role of cannabinoids in inflammation.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16714014

“Essential involvement of interleukin-8 (IL-8) in acute inflammation.”  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7964163

“Cannabinoids as novel anti-inflammatory drugs”  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2828614/

Modulation of L-α-lysophosphatidylinositol/GPR55 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling by cannabinoids.

“This study has implications for developing new therapeutics for the treatment of cancer, pain, and metabolic disorders.

GPR55 is activated by l-α-lysophosphatidylinositol (LPI) but also by certain cannabinoids.

In this study, we investigated the GPR55 pharmacology of various cannabinoids, including analogues of the CB1 receptor antagonist Rimonabant®, CB2 receptor agonists, and Cannabis sativa constituents.

Here, we show that CB1 receptor antagonists can act both as agonists alone and as inhibitors of LPI signaling under the same assay conditions. This study clarifies the controversy surrounding the GPR55-mediated actions of SR141716A; some reports indicate the compound to be an agonist and some report antagonism. In contrast, we report that the CB2 ligand GW405833 behaves as a partial agonist of GPR55 alone and enhances LPI signaling. GPR55 has been implicated in pain transmission, and thus our results suggest that this receptor may be responsible for some of the antinociceptive actions of certain CB2 receptor ligands.

Here, we report that the little investigated cannabis constituents CBDV, CBGA, and CBGV are potent inhibitors of LPI-induced GPR55 signaling.

The phytocannabinoids Δ9-tetrahydrocannabivarin, cannabidivarin, and cannabigerovarin are also potent inhibitors of LPI.

Our findings also suggest that GPR55 may be a new pharmacological target for the following C. sativa constituents: Δ9-THCV, CBDV, CBGA, and CBGV.

These Cannabis sativa constituents may represent novel therapeutics targeting GPR55.”  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3249141/

“Lysophosphatidylinositol (LPI) is a bioactive lipid generated by phospholipase A2 which is believed to play an important role in several diseases.”  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22285325

 “The putative cannabinoid receptor GPR55 promotes cancer cell proliferation.  In this issue of Oncogene, two groups demonstrated that GPR55 is expressed in various cancer types in an aggressiveness-related manner, suggesting a novel cancer biomarker and a potential therapeutic target.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21057532
“The orphan G protein-coupled receptor GPR55 promotes cancer cell proliferation via ERK. These findings reveal the importance of GPR55 in human cancer, and suggest that it could constitute a new biomarker and therapeutic target in oncology.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20818416
“The putative cannabinoid receptor GPR55 defines a novel autocrine loop in cancer cell proliferation. These findings may have important implications for LPI as a novel cancer biomarker and for its receptor GPR55 as a potential therapeutic target.”  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20838378
“L-α-lysophosphatidylinositol meets GPR55: a deadly relationship. Evidence points to a role of L-α-lysophosphatidylinositol (LPI) in cancer.”  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21367464

Scotopic vision in the monkey is modulated by the G protein-coupled receptor 55.

“The endogenous cannabinoid system plays important roles in the retina of mice and monkeys via their classic CB1 and CB2 receptors.

We have previously reported that the G protein-coupled receptor 55 (GPR55), a putative cannabinoid receptor, is exclusively expressed in rod photoreceptors in the monkey retina, suggesting its possible role in scotopic vision.

These results support the hypothesis that GPR55 plays an instrumental role in mediating scotopic vision.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27485069