Book ChapterDOI
Neuropharmacological Effects of the Main Phytocannabinoids: A Narrative Review.
TLDR
An overview of the main neurochemical mechanisms of action of the phytocannabinoids, especially THC and CBD is presented, which could be responsible for their wide therapeutic spectrum and "promiscuous" pharmacology.Abstract:
Cannabis can synthetize more than 400 compounds, including terpenes, flavonoids, and more than 100 phytocannabinoids. The main phytocannabinoids are Δ-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD). Cannabis-based products are used as medicines in several countries. In this text, we present an overview of the main neurochemical mechanisms of action of the phytocannabinoids, especially THC and CBD. We also reviewed the indications and adverse effects of the main cannabis-based medicinal products. THC acts as a partial agonist at cannabinoid 1/2 receptors (CB1/2). It is responsible for the characteristic effects of cannabis, such as euphoria, relaxation, and changes in perceptions. THC can also produce dysphoria, anxiety, and psychotic symptoms. THC is used therapeutically in nausea and vomiting due to chemotherapy, as an appetite stimulant, and in chronic pain. CBD acts as a noncompetitive negative allosteric modulator of the CB1 receptor, as an inverse agonist of the CB2 receptor, and as an inhibitor of the reuptake of the endocannabinoid anandamide. Moreover, CBD also activates 5-HT1A serotonergic receptors and vanilloid receptors. Its use in treatment-resistant epilepsy syndromes is approved in some countries. CBD does not produce the typical effects associated with THC and has anxiolytic and antipsychotic effects. Some of the most common adverse effects of CBD are diarrhea, somnolence, nausea, and transaminase elevations (with concomitant use of antiepileptics). The mechanisms of action involved in both the therapeutic and adverse effects of the phytocannabinoids are not fully understood, involving not only the endocannabinoid system. This "promiscuous" pharmacology could be responsible for their wide therapeutic spectrum.read more
Citations
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Perceived Efficacy, Reduced Prescription Drug Use, and Minimal Side Effects of Cannabis in Patients with Chronic Orthopedic Pain.
TL;DR: In this article, the use of medical cannabis was associated with clinical improvements in pain, function, and quality of life with reductions in prescription drug use; 73% either ceased or decreased opioid consumption and 31% discontinued benzodiazepines.
Journal ArticleDOI
Perceived Efficacy, Reduced Prescription Drug Use, and Minimal Side Effects of Cannabis in Patients with Chronic Orthopedic Pain
TL;DR: In this paper , the use of medical cannabis was associated with clinical improvements in pain, function, and quality of life with reductions in prescription drug use; 73% either ceased or decreased opioid consumption and 31% discontinued benzodiazepines.
Journal ArticleDOI
Understanding the Modulatory Effects of Cannabidiol on Alzheimer's Disease
TL;DR: In this paper, a review of the effect of CBD on Alzheimer's disease is presented, which suggests problems to be overcome for the therapeutic use of CBD and suggest problems for the translation of preclinical studies into clinical settings.
Journal ArticleDOI
Efficacy of Phytocannabinoids in Epilepsy Treatment: Novel Approaches and Recent Advances.
TL;DR: In this article, a review of the molecular targets underlying the anticonvulsant capabilities of cannabidiol, CBD, CBDV, Δ9-THCV, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabivarin, and cannabigerol (CBG) is presented.
Journal ArticleDOI
Biological hypotheses, risk factors, and biomarkers of schizophrenia
TL;DR: A summary of valid biological hypotheses of schizophrenia formulated based on risk factors and biomarkers, neurodevelopment, neuroplasticity, brain chemistry, and antipsychotic medication can be found in this article .
References
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Journal ArticleDOI
Cannabinoids for Medical Use: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.
Penny Whiting,Penny Whiting,Robert Wolff,Sohan Deshpande,Marcello Di Nisio,Steven Duffy,Adrian V. Hernandez,Adrian V. Hernandez,J. Christiaan Keurentjes,Shona H. Lang,Kate Misso,Steve Ryder,Simone Schmidlkofer,Marie Westwood,Jos Kleijnen +14 more
TL;DR: There was moderate- quality evidence to support the use of cannabinoids for the treatment of chronic pain and spasticity and low-quality evidence suggesting that cannabinoids were associated with improvements in nausea and vomiting due to chemotherapy, weight gain in HIV infection, sleep disorders, and Tourette syndrome.
Journal ArticleDOI
Cannabis sativa: The Plant of the Thousand and One Molecules
TL;DR: Prospects on the benefits linked to the use of the -omics technologies, such as metabolomics and transcriptomics to speed up the identification and the large-scale production of lead agents from bioengineered Cannabis cell culture, are presented.
Journal ArticleDOI
Cannabidiol enhances anandamide signaling and alleviates psychotic symptoms of schizophrenia
F. M. Leweke,Daniele Piomelli,Daniele Piomelli,Franziska Pahlisch,Franziska Pahlisch,D Muhl,D Muhl,C.W. Gerth,Carolin Hoyer,Carolin Hoyer,Joachim Klosterkötter,Martin Hellmich,Dagmar Koethe,Dagmar Koethe +13 more
TL;DR: It is suggested that inhibition of anandamide deactivation may contribute to the antipsychotic effects of cannabidiol potentially representing a completely new mechanism in the treatment of schizophrenia.
Journal ArticleDOI
Non-psychotropic plant cannabinoids: new therapeutic opportunities from an ancient herb
TL;DR: Cannabidiol and Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabivarin, a novel CB(1) antagonist which exerts potentially useful actions in the treatment of epilepsy and obesity are given special emphasis.
Journal ArticleDOI
Effects of Cannabis Use on Human Behavior, Including Cognition, Motivation, and Psychosis: A Review
Nora D. Volkow,James M. Swanson,A. Eden Evins,Lynn E. DeLisi,Madeline H. Meier,Raul Gonzalez,Michael A P Bloomfield,H. Valerie Curran,Ruben Baler +8 more
TL;DR: To inform the political discourse with scientific evidence, the literature was reviewed to identify what is known and not known about the effects of cannabis use on human behavior, including cognition, motivation, and psychosis.