“Although the analgesic properties of non-selective cannabinoid receptor agonists have been known for many years, there is now an increasing body of evidence to support the potential utility of selective cannabinoid CB2 receptor agonists for the treatment of pain…
Cannabinoid CB2 receptor activation by selective agonists has been shown to produce analgesic effects in preclinical models of inflammatory and neuropathic pain. However, mechanisms underlying CB2-mediated analgesic effects remain largely unknown. The present study was conducted to elucidate the CB2 receptor expression in ‘pain relevant’ tissues and the potential sites of action of CB2 agonism in rats.
CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS
These results demonstrate that both DRG and spinal cord are important sites contributing to CB2 receptor-mediated analgesia and that the changes in CB2 receptor expression play a crucial role for the sites of action in regulating pain perception.”