Synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists and antagonists: implication in CNS disorders
Clementina Manera,
a
Chiara Arena,
a,b
Andrea Chicca
b
a
Department of Pharmacy, University of Pisa, via Bonanno 6, 56126 Pisa, Italy.
b
Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, National Center of Competence in Research
TransCure, University of Bern, CH 3012 Bern, Switzerland
*To whom correspondence should be addressed. C.M.: email address:
clementina.manera@farm.unipi.it; telephone: +39(0)502219548; fax: +39(0)502219605
ABSTRACT
Background. Since the discovery of the cannabinoid receptors, numerous studies associate the
endocannabinoid system with several physiological and pathological processes including cancer,
appetite, fertility, memory, neuropathic and inflammatory pain, obesity, and neurodegenerative diseases.
Over the last two decades, several researches have been dedicated extensively on the cannabinoid
receptors ligands since the direct activation of cannabinoid receptors results in several beneficial effects,
in the brain and in the periphery.
Methods. The cannabinoid CB1 and CB2 receptor synthetic ligands reported in this review have been
collected by a wide research of scientific literature in particular in public database for patents and
clinical trials. The references for patent numbers, clinical trial registry numbers, websites and scientific
articles are reported in the reference section.
Results. During past years, cannabinoid CB1 and CB2 receptor ligands from plants or lab were rapidly
developed and then various new structures were reported to be cannabinoids. However the CB1
receptor ligands have had a limited usefulness due to their psychotropic effects, dependence, and
cognitive impairment. On the contrary the development of CB2 receptor ligands has been more
productive. Furthermore peripherally restricted agonists as well as CB1 receptor positive or negative
allosteric modulators were studied with the aim of eliminating the undesirable CB1 receptor central
effects.
Conclusions. The CB1 and CB2 receptor ligands offer several therapeutic opportunities for several
CNS-related diseases. Based on the scientific literature, this review provides an overview of CB1 and
CB2 receptor synthetic ligands obtained from drug research and in particular those synthesized for
therapeutic purposes and potential clinical applications for central nervous system disorders.
INTRODUCTION
For many centuries, preparations from Cannabis sativa L have been used as popular recreational drug
as well as for their therapeutic effect, however the chemical and biological bases of their
pharmacological effects are still not fully understood. Cannabis plants produce large number of related
compounds called phytocannabinoids, of which Δ
9
-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ
9
-THC, Fig.1) is the
principal bioactive component. This compound was identified and synthesized in the 1960s [1]
and, it
was used as model for synthesizing analogues with very potent medical properties. However the new
compounds showed psychotropic side effects and in several cases the pharmacological mechanisms of
action were not well-identified. Particularly important was the identification of the cannabinoid
receptors (CB1 and CB2 receptors) followed by the discovery of their endogenous ligands
and of different enzymes involved in their biosynthesis and biotransformation that allowed to deepen
the knowledge of endocannabinoid system (ES) and the clinical applicability of cannabis-based
treatments [2].
The CB1 and CB2 receptors are members of the G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) family. They are
characterized by an N-terminal extracellular domain that possesses glycosylation sites, a C-terminal
intracellular domain coupled to a G protein complex, and seven hydrophobic transmembrane segments.
The cannabinoid receptors are expressed in many species, including human. Initially, it was
hypothesized that CB1 receptor was localized generally in the brain whereas CB2 receptor was
restricted in immune cells such as leucocytes and those of the spleen and tonsils [3]. However, CB1
receptor has recently been found also in peripheral tissues, whereas CB2 receptor was identified also in
the central nervous system, e.g. in the microglial cells. The human CB2 receptor has 44% amino acid
sequence identity with CB1 receptor for all protein and 68% similarity for the transmembrane domains.
The cannabinoid receptors are coupled with Gi or Go protein, positively to mitogen-activated protein
(MAP) kinase and negatively to adenylyl cyclase, thus reducing the production of cAMP [3].
CB1 receptor also modulates ion channels, resulting, for example, in the inhibition of P/Q- type
voltage-sensitive Ca
2+
channels. Inhibition of presynaptic calcium channels by cannabinoids likely
reduces neurotransmitter release from CB1 receptor-expressing presynaptic terminals. One of the
functions of cannabinoid receptors in the immune system is modulation of cytokine release. Activation
of B- and T-cell CB2 receptor by cannabinoids inhibits adenylyl cyclase in these cells and reduces the
immune response.
Experiments utilizing CB1 and CB2 receptors knockout mice indicate the presence of further
cannabinoid receptors such as GPR18, GPR55, and GPR119 [4,5].
The latter is involved in the
regulation of metabolism [6] and body weight [7]. GRP55 [8,9] and GPR18 [10] regulate the
activation of microglia and the neuropathic pain. Finally the TRPV1 receptor is involved in pain and
inflammation and is regulated by cannabinoids [11]. For these reasons these receptors may be
interesting targets for the treatment of neuroinflammation and neuropathic pain.
Cannabinoid receptors are localized in the presynaptic junction and are activated by lipid mediators
called endocannabinoids. At the present moment, the most bioactive and best characterized
endocannabinoids are anandamide (arachidonylethanolamide; AEA) (Fig.1) and 2-
arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) (Fig. 1), however the family of endocannabinoids comprises also noladin
ether virodhamine, N- arachidonoyl dopamine (NADA), and other compounds such as
palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) and oleoylethanolamide (OEA) (Fig.1). Unlike many other
neurotransmitters, endocannabinoids are produced upon demand, are biosynthesized
from integral constituents of cellular membrane by action of some enzymes and have a moderately
slow time frame of action.
The endocannabinoid signaling is terminated by cellular reuptake and their enzymatic hydrolysis. There
is only pharmacological evidence of the existence of reuptake transporter of endocannabinoids [12]. On
the contrary, the enzymes involved in the metabolism of endocannabinoids are better known. 2-AG is
degraded by the monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL) giving arachidonic acid and glycerol [13] and fatty
acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) degrades AEA to arachidonic acid and ethanolamine [14].
OH
H
N
H
O
OH
Anandamide, AEA
O
O
OH
OH
2-Arachidonoylglycerol, 2-AG
O
O
NH
2
Virodhamine
O
OH
OH
Noladin ether
9
-THC
N
H
O
OH
OH
N-arachidonoyl dopamine, NADA
N
H
O
OH
Palmitoylethanolamide, PEA
N
H
O
OH
Oleoylethanolamide, OEA
Figure 1. Chemical structures of Δ
9
-THC and endocannabinoids.
During past years, cannabinoid compounds from plants or lab were rapidly developed and then various
new structures were reported to be cannabinoids. Cannabinoids receptors have an important role
in controlling of cell fate and then they represent an attractive for novel drug development [15,16].
Recently various researches reported that natural and synthetic cannabinoids showed an important
antitumor activity in preclinical trials, they could inhibit cell proliferation, induce apoptosis and block
angiogenesis [17]. Nabilone (Cesamet) (Fig. 2), synthetic analog of Δ
9
-THC, is an example of
cannabinoid-based drugs; this compound is a potent CB1/CB2 agonist, and at this time is used for the
treatment of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting in humans. Synthetic analogs of Δ
9
-THC,
such as n-hexyl- Δ
6a
-THC (Fig. 2), 1,2-dimethylheptyl-THC (Fig. 2), HU-210 (Fig. 2) levonantradol
(CP 50,556-1) (Fig. 2) and nabitan (Fig. 2), were initially tested, but none of these were introduced in
the market. Furthermore, in different research model cannabinoid ligands showed to inhibit pain via the
CB1 or/and CB2 receptor. For example the phase II studies of NIH (http://clinicaltrials.gov) regarding
the CB2 receptor agonist GW842166X (Fig. 6 ) [18], indicated that this compound possesses analgesic
effect in dental surgery and in the treatment of osteoarthritis pain of the knee. Besides cannabinoids are
related to hepatic pathological conditions and to many other diseases such as osteoporosis and atopic
dermatitis [19,20]. Finally some researches on neurological diseases demonstrated that cannabinoids
should be used to slow the progression of neurodegenerative disorders [21] such as Huntington’s
disease [22], Alzheimer’s disease [23], Parkinson’s disease [24] and multiple sclerosis [25] (Table 1).
For these reasons cannabinoid receptor could be considered new targets for neuropsychiatric and
neurodegenerative disorders.
O
OH
Nabilone
n-hexyl-
6a
-THC
OH
1,2-dimethylheptyl-THC
OH
HO
HU-210
N
H
OH
O
O
H
H
O
Levonantradol, CP 50,556-1
N
O
O
N
Nabitan
Figure 2. Chemical structures of synthetic analogs of Δ
9
-THC
