ABSTRACT: The long history of Cannabis sativa had its development stimulated and oriented for medicine after the discovery and chemical characterization of its main active ingredient, the 9-tetrahydrocannabinol (9-THC). Consequently, a binding site for 9-THC was identified in rat brains and the first cannabinoid receptor (CB1) was cloned, followed by the CB2 and by the ... Continue Reading
Hypertension
STUDY: Hypotension – The Novel Endocannabinoid Receptor GPR18 Is Expressed in the Rostral Ventrolateral Medulla and Exerts Tonic Restraining Influence on Blood Pressure
ABSTRACT: Systemic administration of the G-protein–coupled receptor 18 (GPR18) agonist abnormal cannabidiol (Abn CBD) lowers blood pressure (BP). Whether GPR18 is expressed in the central nervous system (CNS) and plays a role in BP control is not known despite the abundance of the GPR18 ligand N-arachidonoyl glycine (NAGly) in the CNS. Therefore, we first determined whether ... Continue Reading
STUDY: A cannabinoid receptor, sensitive to O-1918, is involved in the delayed hypotension induced by anandamide in anaesthetized rats
ABSTRACT: Background and purpose: Intravenous injection of the endocannabinoid anandamide induces complex cardiovascular changes via cannabinoid CB1, CB2 and vanilloid TRPV1 receptors. Recently, evidence has been accumulating that in vitro, but not in vivo, anandamide relaxes blood vessels, via an as yet unidentified, non-CB1 vascular cannabinoid receptor, sensitive to ... Continue Reading