ABSTRACT: Endocannabinoids, such as anandamide and 2-arachidonoylglycerol, are synthesized from membrane phospholipids in the heart and other cardiovascular tissues. They activate cannabinoid CB1 and CB2 receptors, TRPV1, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors and perhaps a novel vascular G-protein-coupled receptor. Inactivation is by cellular uptake and fatty acid ... Continue Reading
atherosclerosis
STUDY: The Endocannabinoid System as an Emerging Target of Pharmacotherapy
ABSTRACT: The recent identification of cannabinoid receptors and their endogenous lipid ligands has triggered an exponential growth of studies exploring the endocannabinoid system and its regulatory functions in health and disease. Such studies have been greatly facilitated by the introduction of selective cannabinoid receptor antagonists and inhibitors of endocannabinoid ... Continue Reading
STUDY: Endocannabinoid system in cardiovascular disorders – new pharmacotherapeutic opportunities
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
STUDY: Atherosclerosis – Cannabidiol-2′,6′-dimethyl Ether as an Effective Protector of 15-Lipoxygenase-Mediated Low-Density Lipoprotein Oxidation in Vitro
ABSTRACT: 15-Lipoxygenase (15-LOX) is one of the key enzymes responsible for the formation of oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL), a major causal factor for atherosclerosis. Both enzymatic (15-LOX) and non-enzymatic (Cu2+) mechanisms have been proposed for the production of ox-LDL. We have recently reported that cannabidiol-2′,6′-dimethyl ether (CBDD) is a selective ... Continue Reading
STUDY: Cannabidiol attenuates high glucose-induced endothelial cell inflammatory response and barrier disruption
ABSTRACT: A nonpsychoactive cannabinoid cannabidiol (CBD) has been shown to exert potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects and has recently been reported to lower the incidence of diabetes in nonobese diabetic mice and to preserve the blood-retinal barrier in experimental diabetes. In this study we have investigated the effects of CBD on high glucose (HG)-induced, ... Continue Reading