Title
Cannabinoids, endocannabinoids, and related analogs in inflammation
PubMed ID
19199042
UMMS Affiliation
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology; Department of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology
Date
2-10-2009
Document Type
Article
Subjects
Animals; Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; Arachidonic Acids; Cannabinoids; Cannabis; Disease Models, Animal; Drug Evaluation, Preclinical; Eicosanoids; Endocannabinoids; Fibromyalgia; Glycine; Humans; Inflammation; Mice; Plant Oils; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Rats; Receptors, Cannabinoid; Tetrahydrocannabinol
Disciplines
Life Sciences | Medicine and Health Sciences
Abstract
This review covers reports published in the last 5 years on the anti-inflammatory activities of all classes of cannabinoids, including phytocannabinoids such as tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabidiol, synthetic analogs such as ajulemic acid and nabilone, the endogenous cannabinoids anandamide and related compounds, namely, the elmiric acids, and finally, noncannabinoid components of Cannabis that show anti-inflammatory action. It is intended to be an update on the topic of the involvement of cannabinoids in the process of inflammation. A possible mechanism for these actions is suggested involving increased production of eicosanoids that promote the resolution of inflammation. This differentiates these cannabinoids from cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors that suppress the synthesis of eicosanoids that promote the induction of the inflammatory process.
Rights and Permissions
Citation: AAPS J. 2009 Mar;11(1):109-19. Epub 2009 Feb 6. Link to article on publisher's site