Pharmacological Research
February 1, 2025
Michaela Dvorakova, Ken Mackie, Alex Straiker
2 citations
Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the chief psychoactive ingredient of cannabis, acts in the brain primarily via cannabinoid CB1 receptors. These receptors are implicated in several forms of synaptic plasticity - depolarization-induced suppression of excitation (DSE), metabotropic suppression of excitation (MSE), long term depression (LTD) and activation-dependent desensitization. Cultured...
Molecular Pharmacology
December 2022
Taryn Bosquez-Berger, Sierra Wilson, Christos Iliopoulos-Tsoutsouvas et al.
The two main constituents of cannabis are Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD). While Δ9-THC pharmacology has been studied extensively, CBD-long considered inactive-is now the subject of vigorous research related to epilepsy, pain, and inflammation and is popularly embraced as a virtual cure-all. However, our understanding of CBD pharmacology remains limited, although CBD...
Journal of Neuroscience
April 9, 2014
Daniel J Morgan, Brian J Davis, Chris S Kearn et al.
For many G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), including cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1R), desensitization has been proposed as a principal mechanism driving initial tolerance to agonists. GPCR desensitization typically requires phosphorylation by a G-protein-coupled receptor kinase (GRK) and interaction of the phosphorylated receptor with an arrestin. In simple model systems, CB1R is desensitized...
British Journal of Pharmacology
June 2010
Brady K Atwood, John W Huffman, Alex Straiker et al.
'Spice' is an herbal blend primarily marketed in Europe as a mild hallucinogen with prominent cannabis-like effects and as a legal alternative to cannabis. However, a recent report identified a number of synthetic additives in samples of 'Spice'. One of these, the indole derivative JWH018, is a ligand for the cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB(1)) cannabinoid receptor and inhibits cAMP production in...
Encyclopedia of Life Sciences
December 21, 2007
Alex Straiker
Abstract: Exogenous cannabinoids are ∼60 molecules with a similar structural motif found in marijuana and hashish. Some of these are psychoactive – the chief being Δ 9 ‐tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ 9 ‐THC) – and have been found to exert their psychoactive effects via receptors in the body. The human body makes endogenous cannabinoids that are structurally distinct from exogenous cannabinoids. This...