INTRODUCTION The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of AM281, a cannabinoid receptor antagonist, on systemic haemodynamics, internal carotid artery blood flow and mortality during septic shock in rats. METHODS The study included three sets of experiments: measurements of changes in systemic haemodynamics and left internal carotid artery flow (30 animals divided into three groups...

Abrupt cessation of morphine leads to withdrawal signs and cognitive deficits. Endocannabinoid system is activated during withdrawal; therefore, the aim of the present study was to assess the effects of AM281, cannabinoid antagonist/inverse agonist, on memory deficit following spontaneous morphine withdrawal. Cognition was evaluated by using the object recognition task. The novel object recogni...

Percutaneous transluminal angioplasty is frequently used in patients with severe arterial narrowing due to atherosclerosis. However, it induces severe arterial injury and an inflammatory response leading to restenosis. Here, we studied a potential activation of the endocannabinoid system and the effect of FA amide hydrolase (FAAH) deficiency, the major enzyme responsible for endocannabinoid ana...

Consciousness can be defined by two major attributes: awareness of environment and self, and arousal, which reflects the level of awareness. The return of arousal after general anesthesia presents an experimental tool for probing the neural mechanisms that control consciousness. Here we have identified that systemic or intracerebral injection of the cannabinoid CB1 receptor (CB1R) antagonist AM...

Spinal cord injury (SCI) induces a cascade of processes that may further expand the damage (secondary injury) or, alternatively, may be part of a safeguard response. Here we show that after a moderate-severe contusive SCI in rats there is a significant and very early increase in the spinal cord content of the endocannabinoids 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) and arachidonoyl ethanolamide (anandami...

OBJECTIVE While endogenous cannabinoids regulate various physiologic functions, their role in the intestinal tract is unclear. We continuously recorded colonic motility in conscious guinea pigs. Mechanisms of action then were investigated using guinea pig taenia caecum in vitro. DESIGN Prospective experimental observations using the cannabinoid agonists 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) and WIN55...

objective(s) cannabinoids have been implicated in memory deficit. we examined the effect of am281, cannabinoid antagonist/inverse agonist in prevention of scopolamine-induced cognitive deficit. materials and methods  object recognition task was used to evaluate memory in mice. exploration time in the first and the second trial was recorded. the differences in exploration between a previously se...

OBJECTIVES Cannabinoids have been implicated in memory deficit. We examined the effect of AM281, cannabinoid antagonist/inverse agonist in prevention of scopolamine-induced cognitive deficit. MATERIALS AND METHODS Object recognition task was used to evaluate memory in mice. Exploration time in the first and the second trial was recorded. The differences in exploration between a previously see...

We studied the effects of cannabinoids and acute immobilization stress on the regulation of GABA release in the olfactory bulb. Glutamate-stimulated 3H-GABA release was measured in superfused slices. We report that cannabinoids as WIN55, 212-2, methanandamide, and 2-arachidonoylglycerol were able to inhibit glutamate- and KCl-stimulated 3H-GABA release. This effect was blocked by the CB1 antago...

abrupt cessation of morphine leads to withdrawal signs and cognitive deficits. endocannabinoid system is activated during withdrawal; therefore, the aim of the present study was to assess the effects of am281, cannabinoid antagonist/inverse agonist, on memory deficit following spontaneous morphine withdrawal. cognition was evaluated by using the object recognition task. the novel object recogni...