Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Articles 1 - 1 of 1
Full-Text Articles in Medicine and Health Sciences
Turning Over A New Leaf: Cannabinoid And Endocannabinoid Modulation Of Immune Function, Guy A. Cabral, Thomas J. Rogers, Aron H. Lichtman
Turning Over A New Leaf: Cannabinoid And Endocannabinoid Modulation Of Immune Function, Guy A. Cabral, Thomas J. Rogers, Aron H. Lichtman
Microbiology and Immunology Publications
Cannabis is a complex substance that harbors terpenoid-like compounds referred to as phytocannabinoids. The major psychoactive phytocannabinoid found in cannabis ∆9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) produces the majority of its pharmacological effects through two cannabinoid receptors, termed CB1 and CB2. The discovery of these receptors as linked functionally to distinct biological effects of THC, and the subsequent development of synthetic cannabinoids, precipitated discovery of the endogenous cannabinoid (or endocannabinoid) system. This system consists of the endogenous lipid ligands N- arachidonoylethanolamine (anandamide; AEA) and 2-arachidonylglycerol (2-AG), their biosynthetic and degradative enzymes, and the CB1 and CB2 receptors that they activate. Endocannabinoids have been …