This study characterized the antinociceptive, respiratory and heart rate effects of the cannabinoid receptor agonists Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Delta-9-THC) and WIN 55212 ((R)-(+)-2, 3-dihydro-5-methyl-3-[(4-morpholinyl)methyl]pyrol-[1,2,3-de]-1, 4-benzoxazin-6-yl)(1-naphtalenyl)methanone monomethanesulfonate), N-arachidonyl ethanolamide (anandamide) and the mu and kappa opioid receptor ago...

Cannabinoids, acting through the CB1 cannabinoid receptor (CB1R), protect the brain against ischemia and related forms of injury. This may involve inhibiting the neurotoxicity of endogenous excitatory amino acids and downstream effectors, such as nitric oxide (NO). Cannabinoids also stimulate neurogenesis in the adult brain through activation of CB1R. Because NO has been implicated in neurogene...

Both the uterus and bladder contain cannabinoid (CB) receptors whose functions are poorly understood. Here, in urethane-anesthetized female rats in metestrus, we simultaneously compared the effects of close-arterial injections of the cannabinoid receptor agonist WIN 55,212-2 (WIN2) on uterine contractions (amplitude and rate) and micturition thresholds (MT) assessed by cystometry. Five doses of...

The cannabinoid receptor CB1 is found in abundance in brain neurons, whereas CB2 is essentially expressed outside the brain. In the neocortex, CB1 is observed predominantly on large cholecystokinin (CCK)-expressing interneurons. However, physiological evidence suggests that functional CB1 are present on other neocortical neuronal types. We investigated the expression of CB1 and CB2 in identifie...

Although cannabinoids are efficacious in laboratory animal models of inflammatory pain, their established cannabimimetic actions diminish enthusiasm for their therapeutic development. Conversely, fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH), the chief catabolic enzyme regulating the endogenous cannabinoid N-arachidonoylethanolamine (anandamide), has emerged as an attractive target for treating pain and ot...

introduction: previous studies have shown that cannabinoidergic system is involved in anxiety. however, there are controversial reports in the experimental studies. the aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of pharmacological stimulation or blocking of cb1 receptors and inhibition of endocannabinoid degradation in anxiety like behavior in elevated plus-maze (epm) test in rat. the epm is o...

Introduction: Previous studies have shown that cannabinoidergic system is involved in anxiety. However, there are controversial reports in the experimental studies. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of pharmacological stimulation or blocking of CB1 receptors and inhibition of endocannabinoid degradation in anxiety like behavior in elevated plus-maze (EPM) test in rat. The EPM is o...

Previous studies had shown that the amplification factors for cannabinoid receptors, defined as the number of total G proteins activated per occupied receptor, differs between several rat brain regions. In this study, we sought to determine which specific Gi/Goa subunits were activated by CB1 receptors in several rat brain regions and if this coupling might explain the regional differences in r...