“The protective effects of cannabidiol (CBD) have been widely shown in preclinical models and have translated into medicines for the treatment of multiple sclerosis and epilepsy. However, the direct vascular effects of CBD in humans are unknown.
This study shows, for the first time, that CBD causes vasorelaxation of human mesenteric arteries via activation of CB1 and TRP channels, and is endothelium- and nitric oxide-dependent.”
“The activation of cannabinoid CB1 receptors decreases and increases blood pressure (BP) in anaesthetized and conscious rats, respectively. The aim of our study was to check the possible involvement of CB1 receptors in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN) in the cardiovascular effects of cannabinoids in rats.
In conclusion, the cannabinoid CP55940 administered to the PVN of urethane-anaesthetized rats can induce depressor and pressor effects. The direction of the response probably depends on the sympathetic tone. The centrally induced hypertensive response of CP55940 can, in addition, be masked by peripheral CB1 receptors.”
“Cannabidiol (CBD) has anti-inflammatory effects.
We explored its therapeutic effects on cardiac ischemia-reperfusion injury with an experimental imaging platform…
Compared to controls, CBD treatment improved systolic wall thickening, significantly increased blood flow in the AAR, significantly decreased microvascular obstruction, increased the PDR by 1.7-fold, lowered the AMI-core/AAR ratio, and increased the MSI.
These improvements were associated with reductions in serum cTnI, cardiac leukocyte infiltration, and myocellular apoptosis.
Thus, CBD therapy reduced AMI size and facilitated restoration of LV function.
We demonstrated that this experimental platform has potential theragnostic utility.”
“The G protein-coupled receptor GPR55 has been proposed as a new cannabinoid receptor associated with bone remodelling, nervous system excitability, vascular homeostasis as well as in several pathophysiological conditions including obesity and cancer.
Our data suggest that GPR55 could play deleterious role in ox-LDL-induced foam cells and could be a novel pharmacological target to manage atherosclerosis and other related cardiovascular diseases.”
“In recent years, the endocannabinoid system has emerged as a new therapeutic target in variety of disorders associated with inflammation and tissue injury, including those of the neuronal, liver, renal and cardiovascular system.
The aim of the present review is to elucidate the effect of endocannabinoid system on ischemia reperfusion injury (IRI) in different organs and systems.
Expert opinion: CB2 receptors may play an important compensatory role in controlling tissue inflammation and injury in cells of the neuronal, cardiovascular, liver and renal systems, as well as in infiltrating monocytes/macrophages and leukocytes during various pathological conditions of the systems (atherosclerosis, restenosis, stroke, myocardial infarction, heart, liver and renal failure).
These receptors limit inflammation and associated tissue injury.
On the basis of preclinical results, pharmacological modulation of CB2 receptors may hold a unique therapeutic potential in stroke, myocardial infarction, atherosclerosis, IRI and liver disease.”
“Cannabis is the most commonly consumed illicit drug… Despite the drug’s extreme popularity, reports of cannabis-related stroke and myocardial infarction are so rare as to still be reportable… The observation that cardiotoxicity has never been reported in cancer patients taking dronabinol, the synthetic form of THC, tends to suggest that animal studies may have overstated the cardiovascular risk,” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25868498
http://www.thctotalhealthcare.com/category/cardiovascular-disease/
“Acute rejection of cardiac allografts is a major risk factor limiting survival of heart transplant recipients. Rejection is triggered by dendritic cell (DC) mediated activation of host T cells, amongst others CD4+ T helper (TH)1- and TH17 cells.
The cannabinoid receptor 2 (CB2) is an important modulator of cellular immune responses…
These results demonstrate that CB2 modulates in vitro cytokine responses via DCs and directly via its influence on TH1/TH17 differentiation.
These findings and the fact that allograft rejection is enhanced in Cnr2-/- mice suggest that CB2 may be a promising therapeutic target in organ transplantation.”
“Doxorubicin (DOX) is a widely used, potent chemotherapeutic agent; however, its clinical application is limited because of its dose-dependent cardiotoxicity. DOX’s cardiotoxicity involves increased oxidative/nitrative stress, impaired mitochondrial function in cardiomyocytes/endothelial cells, and cell death.
Cannabidiol is a non-psychotropic constituent of marijuana, which is well-tolerated in humans, with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and recently discovered antitumor properties.
We aimed to explore the effects of cannabidiol in a well-established mouse model of DOX-induced cardiomyopathy…
Treatment with cannabidiol markedly improved DOX-induced cardiac dysfunction, oxidative/nitrative stress and cell death. Cannabidiol also enhanced the DOX-induced impaired cardiac mitochondrial function and biogenesis.
These data suggest that cannabidiol may represent a novel cardioprotective strategy against DOX-induced cardiotoxicity, and the above described effects on mitochondrial function and biogenesis may contribute to its beneficial properties described in numerous other models of tissue injury.”
“In the last decades, the cannabinoid system (comprising synthetic and endogenous cannabinoid agonists and antagonists, their receptors and degrading enzymes) has been shown to induce potent immunomodulatory activities in atherogenesis and acute ischemic complications.
Differently from the other cannabinoid receptors in which controversial results are reported, the selective activation of the cannabinoid receptor type 2 (CB2) has been shown to play anti-inflammatory and protective actions within atherosclerotic vessels and downstream ischemic peripheral organs.
CB2 is a transmembrane receptor that triggers protective intracellular pathways in cardiac, immune and vascular cells in both in human and animal models of atherosclerosis…
medications activating CB2 function in the circulation or peripheral target organs might be a promising approach against atherogenesis.
This review updates evidence from preclinical studies on different CB2-triggered pathways in atherosclerosis and acute ischemic events.”
“Endocannabinoids are bioactive amides, esters and ethers of long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids. Evidence suggests that activation of the endocannabinoid pathway offers cardioprotection against myocardial ischemia, arrhythmias, and endothelial dysfunction of coronary arteries.
…may represent a novel therapeutic approach to cardioprotection.”