“Within the last 15 years, the endocannabinoid system (ECS) has emerged as a lipid signaling system critically involved in the regulation of energy balance, since it exerts a regulatory control on every aspect related to the search, the intake, the metabolism and the storage of calories.
An overactive endocannabinoid-cannabinoid type 1 (CB1) receptor signaling promotes the development of obesity, insulin resistance and dyslipidemia, representing a valuable pharmacotherapeutic target for obesity and metabolic disorders.
However, due to psychiatric side effects, the first generation of brain-penetrant CB1 receptor blockers developed as anti-obesity treatment was removed from the European market in late 2008.
Since then, recent studies have identified new mechanisms of action of the ECS in energy balance and metabolism, as well as novel ways of targeting the system that may be efficacious for the treatment of obesity and metabolic disorders.”