It’s Oral, Head & Neck Cancer Awareness Month. Please Be Aware.

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“Oral, Head & Neck Cancer Awareness Month. While smoking and tobacco use are still major risk factors, the fastest growing segment of oral cancer patients is young, healthy, nonsmoking individuals due to the connection to the HPV virus. We cannot stop this virus from spreading; our only hope to save lives is with professional involvement and public awareness.”  http://oralcancerfoundation.org/events/oral-head-neck-cancer-awareness-month/

“Oral Sex Linked to Rise in Oral Cancers”  https://www.roswellpark.org/cancertalk/201304/oral-sex-linked-rise-oral-cancers

“Role of human papilloma virus in the oral carcinogenesis”  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19542661                                                           “A causal role for human papillomavirus in head and neck cancer.”  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15135592/

“Bogarting that joint might decrease oral hpv among cannabis users. The development of oral cancer is not a result of smoking cannabis per se; rather, it is hypothesized to be a result of contracting hpv through various forms of sharing and passing joints and other smoking apparatuses. Therefore, it is hypothesized that bogarting (and not passing) joints might decrease oral hpv among cannabis smokers.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2794675/

“Additive found in toothpaste and food products could cause cancer, say scientists” http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/toothpaste-additive-e171-titanium-dioxide-food-products-cancer-cause-scientists-a7541956.html

“Mouthwash And Poor Dental Hygiene May Up The Risk Of Oral Cancer”  http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2014/04/08/300257396/mouthwash-and-poor-dental-hygiene-may-up-the-risk-of-oral-cancer

“Gum Disease Linked to Risk of Oral Cancer Causing Virus”  https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2013-08-21/gum-disease-linked-to-risk-of-oral-cancer-causing-virus

“ROUGH TEETH AND RUBBING DENTURES MAY BE LINKED TO ORAL CANCER” http://www.managedhealthcareconnect.com/content/rough-teeth-and-rubbing-dentures-may-be-linked-oral-cancer

“Unhealthy lifestyles blamed for sharp rise in mouth cancer cases”  http://www.itv.com/news/2016-11-25/bad-habits-linked-to-soaring-rates-of-mouth-cancer/

“Type of food and risk of oral cancer. To reduce the risk of oral and pharyngeal cancer, especially squamous cell carcinoma, the most common oral cancer, diet must be optimized, primarily to reduce calorie intake, monounsaturated fat, and red or processed meat. Consumption of fruits, vegetables, and cereals, which are the major source of vitamins and fiber, should be adequate in the daily diet. Optimal levels of daily allowance of micronutrients like vitamin C, E, antioxidants, zinc, beta-carotene, and folate are effective in prevention of oral cancer. Consumption of fried or broiled foods and employment of microwave cooking, because of formation of heterocyclic amines, must be avoided because of increasing risks of oral cancer including the salivary gland tumors.”  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17367228

“Coffee consumption associated with reduced risk of oral cancer: a meta-analysis”  http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212440315013656

“Tobacco and alcohol use are among the strongest risk factors for oral cavity and oropharyngeal cancers.” https://www.cancer.org/cancer/oral-cavity-and-oropharyngeal-cancer/causes-risks-prevention/risk-factors.html

“Marijuana use on its own does not merit definitive oral cancer development, according to research. In fact, cannabis also contains cannabinoids, such as THC, which contain anticancer properties. Some of these anticancer properties include the slowing of the inflammatory arm of the immune system designed to slow free-radical growths. Some researchers link medicinal marijuana to these anticancer properties.” http://www.dentistryiq.com/articles/2014/04/should-marijuana-users-be-worried-that-smoking-causes-oral-cancer.html

“Marijuana has been used in herbal remedies for centuries. More recently, scientists reported that THC and other cannabinoids such as CBD slow growth and/or cause death in certain types of cancer cells.” http://www.cancer.org/treatment/treatmentsandsideeffects/physicalsideeffects/chemotherapyeffects/marijuana-and-cancer

“Cannabis has been shown to kill cancer cells in the laboratory. Cannabinoids appear to kill tumor cells but do not affect their nontransformed counterparts and may even protect them from cell death.” http://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/cam/patient/cannabis-pdq#section/all

“Marijuana Kills Cancer Cells, Admits The U.S. National Cancer Institute” http://naturalsociety.com/marijuana-kills-cancer-cells-admits-the-u-s-national-cancer-institute/

“US government says cannabis kills cancer cells”  http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/11820620/US-government-says-cannabis-kills-cancer-cells.html

“US government finally admits that cannabis kills cancer cells”  http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/government-finally-admits-cannabis-kills-6303176

“Review of Various Herbal Supplements as Complementary Treatments for Oral Cancer. Diet changes, supplementation with antioxidants, high-dose vitamin C therapy, and cannabinoid use have been suggested to decrease cancer cell replication and increase chance of remission.”  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26863913

“Cannabinoids Offer Some Hope for Oral Cancer Pain”  https://www.practicalpainmanagement.com/meeting-summary/cannabinoids-offer-some-hope-oral-cancer-pain

“Cannabinoids Attenuate Cancer Pain and Proliferation in a Mouse Model.  Our results suggest that systemic administration of cannabinoids decease oral cancer pain. Our findings suggest a direct role for cannabinoid mechanisms in oral cancer pain and proliferation. The systemic administration of cannabinoid receptor agonists may have important therapeutic implications wherein cannabinoid receptor agonists may reduce morbidity and mortality of oral cancer. The present findings suggest that cannabinoid treatment may be a promising alternative therapy for oral cancer pain management.”  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3099480/

“Cannabinoids Inhibit Cellular Respiration of Human Oral Cancer Cells. The primary cannabinoids, Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC) and Δ8-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ8-THC) are known to disturb the mitochondrial function and possess antitumor activities. These observations prompted us to investigate their effects on the mitochondrial O2 consumption in human oral cancer cells (Tu183). This epithelial cell line overexpresses bcl-2 and is highly resistant to anticancer drugs. A rapid decline in the rate of respiration was observed when Δ9-THC or Δ8-THC was added to the cells. These results show the cannabinoids are potent inhibitors of Tu183 cellular respiration and are toxic to this highly malignant tumor.” https://www.karger.com/Article/Abstract/312686

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“CANNABINOIDS INHIBIT ORAL CANCER CELLS”  https://pharmotech.ch/cannabinoids-inhibit-oral-cancer-cells/

“Evaluation of cannabinoid CB1 and CB2 receptors expression in mobile tongue squamous cell carcinoma: associations with clinicopathological parameters and patients’ survival. The present study provides evidence that CB1R and CB2R may play a role in the pathophysiological aspects of the mobile tongue squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and even each molecule may constitute a potential target for the development of novel anti-cancer drugs for this type of malignancy.” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26459312

“Review: cannabidiol may be beneficial for oral mucositis. The researchers found evidence that oxidative stress control could prevent and relieve oral mucositis. Cannabidiol was found to be safe to use and demonstrated antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and analgesic properties,” https://medicalxpress.com/news/2017-02-cannabidiol-beneficial-oral-mucositis.html

“Salivary bacteria linked to oral cancers”  http://middleeast.thelancet.com/journals/lanonc/article/PIIS1470-2045(05)70266-7/abstract

“Antibacterial Cannabinoids from Cannabis sativa: A Structure−Activity Study”  http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/np8002673

“Targeting Id1 reduces proliferation and invasion in aggressive human salivary gland cancer cells.  Id1 suppression could represent a novel and effective approach for the treatment of salivary gland cancer.”  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3639030/

“Suppression of invasion and metastasis in aggressive salivary cancer cells through targeted inhibition of ID1 gene expression.”  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27087608

“Cannabidiol as a novel inhibitor of Id-1 gene expression in aggressive breast cancer cells. CBD represents the first nontoxic exogenous agent that can significantly decrease Id-1 expression in metastatic breast cancer cells.  Moreover, reducing Id-1 expression with cannabinoids could also provide a therapeutic strategy for the treatment of additional aggressive cancers because Id-1 expression was found to be up-regulated during the progression of almost all types”  http://mct.aacrjournals.org/content/6/11/2921.long

“Anticancer effects of anandamide on head and neck squamous cell carcinoma cells via the production of receptor-independent reactive oxygen species.”  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24797795

“The endocannabinoid system and cancer: therapeutic implication. Many in vitro and in vivo studies have shown that cannabinoids are efficacious in reducing cancer progression (i.e. inhibition of tumour growth and metastases as well as induction of apoptosis and other anti-cancer properties) in breast, prostate and bone cancer. Although this review focuses on these three types of cancer, activation of the endocannabinoid signalling system produces anti-cancer effects in other types of cancer.” http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1476-5381.2011.01327.x/full

“Medical marijuana use in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma patients treated with radiotherapy. The purpose of the study was to better understand why patients with history of head and neck cancer (HNC) treated with radiotherapy are using medical marijuana (MM). HNC patients report MM use to help with long-term side effects of radiotherapy.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27005465

“Head and neck cancer among marijuana users: A meta-analysis of matched case–control studies. No association between lifetime marijuana use and the development of head and neck cancer was found.”  http://www.aobjournal.com/article/S0003-9969(15)30041-8/abstract

“A Population-based Case-Control Study of Marijuana Use and Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma. Our study suggests that moderate marijuana use is associated with reduced risk of head and neck cancer (HNSCC). In fact, many of these studies reported non-significant protective estimates of effect, consistent with a possible anticarcinogenic action of cannabinoids.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2812803/

“Smoking Marijuana Regularly May Reduce Risk of Some Neck, Head Cancers” http://www.foxnews.com/story/2009/08/26/smoking-marijuana-regularly-may-reduce-risk-some-neck-head-cancers.html

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http://www.thctotalhealthcare.com/category/oral-cancer/

http://www.thctotalhealthcare.com/category/head-and-neck-squamous-cell-carcinoma-hnscc/

Can Marijuana Cure Cancer? Mom Claims To Have Cured Son’s Leukemia By Secretly Giving Him Weed

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“Boy’s miracle recovery from rare cancer after mum gave him cannabis”  http://metro.co.uk/2017/03/26/boys-miracle-recovery-from-rare-cancer-after-mum-gave-him-cannabis-6534160/

“A mother in England reports that she secretly gave her son marijuana, and credits it with curing his leukemia, and saving the teen’s life. Callie Blackwell chose to secretly give her dying son illegally bought marijuana to help him deal with the pain and anxiety from his aggressive leukemia, because she felt he had “nothing else to lose,” The Independent reported. The drug did far more than the mother could have hoped; it not only relieved Deryn’s pain, it reportedly cured his cancer. Now, Blackwell hopes to share her family’s story in an effort to raise awareness about the healing potential of marijuana.

Deryn was first diagnosed with his severe and aggressive form of leukemia, a type of cancer that originates in the blood cells, at age 10. At 14, doctors informed him that there was nothing more they could do, and the young teen went to live out the rest of his short life in a hospice facility. However, that was three years ago, and now at 17, Deryn has fully recovered from his disease and plans to start a career in the food industry. Callie teamed up with author Karen Hockney to write The Boy in 7 Million, a book detailing the family’s experience and highlighting the potential of marijuana in cancer treatment.

There have been a number of instances where marijuana was suspected of significantly improving, and in some cases even curing cancer, but the science remains inconclusive. Research suggests that cannabinoids—chemicals found in the marijuana plants—can target and kill cancer cells in ways that drugs cannot.” http://www.medicaldaily.com/can-marijuana-cure-cancer-mom-claims-have-cured-sons-leukemia-secretly-giving-414375

“Teenager dying of cancer ‘recovers after mother gives him marijuana'” http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/teenager-deryn-boy-dying-cancer-mother-callie-blackwell-recover-medical-marijuana-cannabis-weed-a7652106.html

‘I GAVE MY BOY CANNABIS’. Mum reveals she gave her cancer-stricken son CANNABIS in bid to ease his pain… and now he’s made a miracle recovery. Deryn Blackwell, who was expected to die, has defied doctors by surviving two deadly cancers”  https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/3181956/mum-callie-blackwell-cancer-stricken-son-deryn-cannabis/

“I gave my little boy CANNABIS to help cure his cancer: Mother reveals how her teenage son who was given days to live made a miracle recovery when she gave him the drug behind his doctors’ backs” http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-4349232/Mother-gave-young-son-cannabis-help-cure-cancer.html

One in 7 Billion: Deryn Blackwell begins his hospital ordeal aged 10

“‘I gave my dying son cannabis to ease his cancer symptoms and he made a miracle recovery’ reveals mum” http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/i-gave-dying-son-cannabis-10103387

“I Secretly Gave My Son Cannabis to Save His Life | This Morning”  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqvJOAV7oAc&t=4s

“This Morning fans praise mum who risks prosecution after giving son cannabis cancer drug” http://www.express.co.uk/showbiz/tv-radio/784387/This-Morning-Phillip-Schofield-Holly-Willoughby-cannabis-based-drug-cancer

“Mum claims cannabis cured son’s cancer after he was given days to live. A MUM has claimed that cannabis cured her son’s terminal cancer.”  http://www.dailystar.co.uk/showbiz-tv/hot-tv/600294/cannabis-cures-cancer-this-morning-holly-willoughby

“As teenage boy ‘beats’ cancer with cannabis oil here are nine illnesses the drug could ‘cure’. Deryn Blackwell’s parents secretly gave him the class B drug to ease his pain and anxiety as he underwent gruelling treatment in hospital for leukaemia and cancer.” http://www.mirror.co.uk/lifestyle/health/after-cannabis-oil-miracle-recovery-10111458

I gave my cancer-stricken son weed and it saved his life” http://nypost.com/2017/03/26/i-gave-my-cancer-stricken-son-weed-and-it-saved-his-life/

“London mother claims cannabis helped her dying son recover from rare cancer” http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/u-mother-claims-cannabis-helped-dying-son-recover-cancer-article-1.3010404

“Mother gives marijuana to cancer-struck son and he makes full recovery”  http://topexaminer.com/2017/03/28/mother-gives-marijuana-cancer-struck-son-makes-full-recovery/

“CALLIE BLACKWELL SAYS CANNABIS OIL HELPED SON’S CANCER: ‘THE BOY IN 7 BILLION’” http://www.inquisitr.com/4095508/callie-blackwell-says-cannabis-oil-helped-sons-cancer-the-boy-in-7-billion/

“Teenager Dying Of Cancer Survives After His Mother Gives Him A Dose Of Marijuana” http://www.indiatimes.com/health/buzz/teenager-dying-of-cancer-survives-after-his-mother-gives-him-a-dose-of-marijuana-274499.html

“Mother risked 14 years in prison to smuggle cannabis into hospital for dying son – and she claims it saved his life.‘” http://metro.co.uk/2017/10/23/mother-risked-14-years-in-prison-to-smuggle-cannabis-into-hospital-for-dying-son-and-she-claims-it-saved-his-life-7021003/
“Teen boy ‘saved by cannabis’ reveals how his mum’s illegal drug-buying stopped him from dying. Deryn Blackwell, from Norfolk, was sent to a hospice shortly after his 14th birthday to live out his final few days. He was frail and in extraordinary pain after a relentless battle with a one in a billion form of cancer, Langerhans cell sarcoma. But after his parents secretly gave him cannabis oil to ease his pain and anxiety, he made a miracle recovery. Today, Deryn – who had also battled leukaemia – is a happy and healthy 17-year-old student, with friends and a girlfriend.” http://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/teen-boy-saved-cannabis-reveals-11393969

http://www.thctotalhealthcare.com/category/leukemia/

Low-Dose Cannabidiol Is Safe but Not Effective in the Treatment for Crohn’s Disease, a Randomized Controlled Trial.

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“Cannabidiol (CBD) is an anti-inflammatory cannabinoid shown to be beneficial in a mouse model of IBD. Lacking any central effect, cannabidiol is an attractive option for treating inflammatory diseases. In this study of moderately active Crohn’s disease, CBD was safe but had no beneficial effects. This could be due to lack of effect of CBD on Crohn’s disease, but could also be due to the small dose of CBD, the small number of patients in the study, or the lack of the necessary synergism with other cannabinoids.”  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28349233

“Cannabis induces a clinical response in patients with Crohn’s disease: a prospective placebo-controlled study. We performed a prospective trial to determine whether cannabis can induce remission in patients with Crohn’s disease. Complete remission was achieved by 5 of 11 subjects in the cannabis group and 1 of 10 in the placebo group. A short course (8 weeks) of THC-rich cannabis produced significant clinical, steroid-free benefits to 10 of 11 patients with active Crohn’s disease, compared with placebo, without side effects.”  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23648372

Cannabis, Cannabinoids, and Sleep: a Review of the Literature.

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“The current review aims to summarize the state of research on cannabis and sleep up to 2014 and to review in detail the literature on cannabis and specific sleep disorders from 2014 to the time of publication.

Preliminary research into cannabis and insomnia suggests that cannabidiol (CBD) may have therapeutic potential for the treatment of insomnia.

Delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) may decrease sleep latency but could impair sleep quality long-term.

Novel studies investigating cannabinoids and obstructive sleep apnea suggest that synthetic cannabinoids such as nabilone and dronabinol may have short-term benefit for sleep apnea due to their modulatory effects on serotonin-mediated apneas.

CBD may hold promise for REM sleep behavior disorder and excessive daytime sleepiness, while nabilone may reduce nightmares associated with PTSD and may improve sleep among patients with chronic pain.

Research on cannabis and sleep is in its infancy and has yielded mixed results. Additional controlled and longitudinal research is critical to advance our understanding of research and clinical implications.”

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28349316

Cannabinoid CB2 receptors are involved in the protection of RAW264.7 macrophages against the oxidative stress: an in vitro study.

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“Research in the last decades has widely investigated the anti-oxidant properties of natural products as a therapeutic approach for the prevention and the treatment of oxidative-stress related disorders.

In this context, several studies were aimed to evaluate the therapeutic potential of phytocannabinoids, the bioactive compounds of Cannabis sativa.

Here, we examined the anti-oxidant ability of Cannabigerol (CBG), a non-psychotropic cannabinoid, still little known, into counteracting the hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-induced oxidative stress in murine RAW264.7 macrophages. In addition, we tested selective receptor antagonists for cannabinoid receptors and specifically CB1R (SR141716A) and CB2R (AM630) in order to investigate through which CBG may exert its action.

Taken together, our in vitro results showed that CBG is able to counteract oxidative stress by activation of CB2 receptors.

Based on its antioxidant activities, CBG may hold great promise as an anti-oxidant agent and therefore used in clinical practice as a new approach in oxidative-stress related disorders.”

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28348416

Endocannabinoid signalling modulates susceptibility to traumatic stress exposure.

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“Stress is a ubiquitous risk factor for the exacerbation and development of affective disorders including major depression and posttraumatic stress disorder. Understanding the neurobiological mechanisms conferring resilience to the adverse consequences of stress could have broad implications for the treatment and prevention of mood and anxiety disorders. We utilize laboratory mice and their innate inter-individual differences in stress-susceptibility to demonstrate a critical role for the endogenous cannabinoid 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) in stress-resilience. Specifically, systemic 2-AG augmentation is associated with a stress-resilient phenotype and enhances resilience in previously susceptible mice, while systemic 2-AG depletion or CB1 receptor blockade increases susceptibility in previously resilient mice. Moreover, stress-resilience is associated with increased phasic 2-AG-mediated synaptic suppression at ventral hippocampal-amygdala glutamatergic synapses and amygdala-specific 2-AG depletion impairs successful adaptation to repeated stress. These data indicate amygdala 2-AG signalling mechanisms promote resilience to adverse effects of acute traumatic stress and facilitate adaptation to repeated stress exposure.” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28348378

“Natural cannabinoid found to play key role in anxiety. Stress-related mood and anxiety disorders affect millions of people in the United States. A new study examines the neurobiology behind these illnesses and finds that controlling a molecule that activates cannabinoid receptors can reduce the symptoms of anxiety.” http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/316682.php

“Natural chemical helps brain adapt to stress”  https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/03/170329140945.htm

Effects of a Sativex-Like Combination of Phytocannabinoids on Disease Progression in R6/2 Mice, an Experimental Model of Huntington’s Disease.

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“Several cannabinoids afforded in experimental models of Huntington’s disease (HD).

We investigated whether a 1:1 combination of botanical extracts enriched in either ∆⁸-tetrahydrocannabinol (∆⁸-THC) or cannabidiol (CBD), which are the main constituents of the cannabis-based medicine Sativex®, is beneficial in R6/2 mice (a transgenic model of HD), as it was previously shown to have positive effects in neurotoxin-based models of HD.

A Sativex-like combination of phytocannabinoids administered to R6/2 mice at the onset of motor symptoms produced certain benefits on the progression of striatal deterioration in these mice, which supports the interest of this cannabinoid-based medicine for the treatment of disease progression in HD patients.”

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28333097

Overactivation of the endocannabinoid system alters the anti-lipolytic action of insulin in mouse adipose tissue.

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“Evidence has accumulated that obesity-related metabolic dysregulation is associated with overactivation of the endocannabinoid system (ECS), which involves cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1R), in peripheral tissues, including adipose tissue (AT).

The functional consequences of CB1R activation on AT metabolism remain unclear. Since excess fat mobilization is considered an important primary event contributing to the onset of insulin resistance, we combined in vivo and in vitro experiments to investigate whether activation of ECS could alter the lipolytic rate.

For this purpose, the appearance of plasma glycerol was measured in wild-type and CB1R-/- mice after acute anandamide administration or inhibition of endocannabinoid degradation by JZL195. Additional experiments were conducted on rat AT explants to evaluate the direct consequences of ECS activation on glycerol release and signaling pathways.

Treatments stimulated glycerol release in mice fasted for 6 h and injected with glucose but not in 24-h fasted mice or in CB1R-/-suggesting that the effect was dependent on plasma insulin levels and mediated by CB1R. We concomitantly observed that Akt cascade activity was decreased, indicating an alteration of the anti-lipolytic action of insulin.

Similar results were obtained with tissue explants exposed to anandamide, thus identifying CB1R of AT as a major target.

This study indicates the existence of a functional interaction between CB1R and lipolysis regulation in AT. Further investigation is needed to test whether the elevation of ECS tone encountered in obesity is associated with excess fat mobilization contributing to ectopic fat deposition and related metabolic disorders.”

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28325733

Antidiabetic, antidyslipidemic and toxicity profile of ENV-2: A potent pyrazole derivative against diabetes and related diseases.

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“Diabetes is a major health problem and a predisposition factor for further degenerative complications and, therefore, novel therapies are urgently needed. Currently, cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1 receptor) antagonists have been considered as promissory entities for metabolic disorders treatment.

Accordingly, the purpose of this work was the evaluation of the sub-acute antidiabetic, anti-hyperglycemic, antidyslipidemic and toxicological profile of ENV-2, a potent hypoglycemic and antioxidant CB1 receptor antagonist.

In this study, ENV-2 showed a pronounced anti-hyperglycemic effect even at a dose of 5mg/kg (P< 0.001) in a glucose tolerance test on normoglycemic rats. Moreover, after administration of ENV-2 (16mg/kg) to diabetic rats, a prominent antidiabetic activity was observed (P< 0.001), which was higher than glibenclamide.

Sub-acute treatment (10 days) of ENV-2 resulted in a significant reduction of plasma glucose (P< 0.001). Also, the levels of peripheral lipids were improved; blood triacylglycerols (TG) and cholesterol (CHOL) were diminished (P< 0.001). In addition, it was found that ENV-2 reduced IL-1β and IL-18 mRNA expression in adipose tissue (P< 0.05). Due to the satisfactory outcomes, we were interested in evaluating the toxicity of ENV-2 in both acute and sub-chronic approaches. Regarding the acute administration, the compound resulted to be non-toxic and was grouped in category 5 according to OECD. It was also found that sub-chronic administration did not increase the size of the studied organs, while no structural damage was observed in heart, lung, liver and kidney tissues. Finally, neither AST nor ALT damage hepatic markers were augmented.”

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28322830

Rimonabant, a selective cannabinoid1 receptor antagonist, protects against light-induced retinal degeneration in vitro and in vivo.

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“The endocannabinoid system is involved in some neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease. An endogenous constellation of proteins related to cannabinoid1 receptor signaling, including free fatty acids, diacylglycerol lipase, and N-acylethanolamine-hydrolyzing acid amidase, are localized in the murine retina. Moreover, the expression levels of endogenous agonists of cannabinoid receptors are changed in the vitreous fluid.

However, the role of the endocannabinoid system in the retina, particularly in the light-induced photoreceptor degeneration, remains unknown. Therefore, we investigated involvement of the cannabinoid1 receptor in light-induced retinal degeneration using in vitro and in vivo models.

Rimonabant suppressed light-induced photoreceptor cell death. Cannabinoid1 receptor expression was upregulated by light exposure. Treatment with rimonabant improved both a- and b-wave amplitudes and the thickness of the outer nuclear layer.

These results suggest that the cannabinoid1 receptor is involved in light-induced retinal degeneration and it may represent a therapeutic target in the light-induced photoreceptor degeneration related diseases.”

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28315677