scholarly journals Uncovering the psychoactivity of a cannabinoid from liverworts associated with a legal high

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (10) ◽  
pp. eaat2166 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Chicca ◽  
M. A. Schafroth ◽  
I. Reynoso-Moreno ◽  
R. Erni ◽  
V. Petrucci ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Natural Product ◽  
Cannabis Sativa ◽  
Cb1 Receptor ◽  
Dependent Manner ◽  
Pharmacological Data ◽  
Legal High ◽  
Arachidonoyl Glycerol ◽  
Phytochemical Studies ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Basal Brain

Phytochemical studies on the liverwort Radula genus have previously identified the bibenzyl (−)-cis-perrottetinene (cis-PET), which structurally resembles (−)-Δ9-trans-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-trans-THC) from Cannabis sativa L. Radula preparations are sold as cannabinoid-like legal high on the internet, even though pharmacological data are lacking. Herein, we describe a versatile total synthesis of (−)-cis-PET and its (−)-trans diastereoisomer and demonstrate that both molecules readily penetrate the brain and induce hypothermia, catalepsy, hypolocomotion, and analgesia in a CB1 receptor–dependent manner in mice. The natural product (−)-cis-PET was profiled on major brain receptors, showing a selective cannabinoid pharmacology. This study also uncovers pharmacological differences between Δ9-THC and PET diastereoisomers. Most notably, (−)-cis-PET and (−)-trans-PET significantly reduced basal brain prostaglandin levels associated with Δ9-trans-THC side effects in a CB1 receptor–dependent manner, thus mimicking the action of the endocannabinoid 2-arachidonoyl glycerol. Therefore, the natural product (−)-cis-PET is a psychoactive cannabinoid from bryophytes, illustrating the existence of convergent evolution of bioactive cannabinoids in the plant kingdom. Our findings may have implications for bioprospecting and drug discovery and provide a molecular rationale for the reported effects upon consumption of certain Radula preparations as moderately active legal highs.

scholarly journals Prediction of Essential Binding Domains for the Endocannabinoid N-Arachidonoylethanolamine (AEA) in the Brain Cannabinoid CB1 receptor

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joong-Youn Shim
Keyword(s):  
Cannabis Sativa ◽  
Binding Pocket ◽  
Binding Mode ◽  
Cb1 Receptor ◽  
Allosteric Modulators ◽  
Cannabinoid Cb1 Receptor ◽  
Allosteric Site ◽  
Binding Domains ◽  
Long Time ◽  
The Brain

Abstract∆9-tetrahydrocannabinol (∆9-THC), the main active ingredient of Cannabis sativa (marijuana), interacts with the human brain cannabinoid (CB1) receptor and mimics pharmacological effects of endocannabinoids (eCBs) N-arachidonylethanolamide (AEA) and 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG). Given recent intriguing findings that some allosteric modulators can enhance selectively the AEA-activated CB1 receptor, it is imperative to determine the structure of the AEA-bound CB1 receptor. However, due to its highly flexible nature of AEA, establishing its binding mode to the CB1 receptor is elusive. The aim of the present study was to explore many possible binding conformations of AEA within the binding pocket of the CB1 receptor that is confirmed in the recently available X-ray crystal structures of the agonist-bound CB1 receptors and predict essential AEA binding domains. We performed long time molecular dynamics stimulations of plausible AEA docking poses until its receptor binding interactions became optimally established. Our simulation results revealed that AEA favors to bind to the hydrophobic channel of the CB1 receptor, suggesting that the hydrophobic channel holds essential significance in AEA binding to the CB1 receptor. Our results also suggest that the H2/H3 region of the CB1 receptor is an AEA binding subsite privileged possibly over the H7 region. The results of the present study contribute to identifying the (hidden) allosteric site(s) of the CB1 receptor in our immediate future study.

scholarly journals Early Cannabinoid Exposure as a Source of Vulnerability to Opiate Addiction: A Model in Laboratory Rodents

1998 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 39-58 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miguel Navarro ◽  
Fernando Rodríguez de Fonseca
Keyword(s):  
Brain Function ◽  
Cannabis Sativa ◽  
Cannabinoid Receptor ◽  
Adult Brain ◽  
Opiate Abuse ◽  
Laboratory Rodents ◽  
Endogenous Cannabinoid ◽  
Arachidonoyl Glycerol ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Endogenous Cannabinoid System

Recent findings have identified an endogenous brain system mediating the actions of cannabis sativa preparations. This system includes the brain cannabinoid receptor (CB-1) and its endogenous ligands anandamide and 2-arachidonoyl-glycerol. The endogenous cannabinoid system is not only present in the adult brain, but is also active at early stages of brain development. Studies developed at our laboratory have revealed that maternal exposure to psychoactive cannabinoid results in neuro-developmental alterations. A model is proposed in which early Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) exposure during critical developmental periods results in permanent alterations in brain function by either the stimulation of CB-1 receptors present during the development, or by the alterations in maternal glucocorticoid secretion. Those alterations will be revealed in adulthood after challenges either with drugs (i.e. opiates) or with environmental stressors (i.e. novelty). They will include a modified pattern of neuro-chemical, endocrine, and behavioral responses that might lead ultimately to inadaptation and vulnerability to opiate abuse.

scholarly journals Prediction of essential binding domains for the endocannabinoid N-arachidonoylethanolamine (AEA) in the brain cannabinoid CB1 receptor

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (6) ◽  
pp. e0229879
Author(s):  
Joong-Youn Shim
Keyword(s):  
Cannabis Sativa ◽  
Md Simulations ◽  
Binding Pocket ◽  
Binding Mode ◽  
Cb1 Receptor ◽  
Cannabinoid Cb1 Receptor ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Binding Domains ◽  
Long Time ◽  
The Brain

Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC), the main active ingredient of Cannabis sativa (marijuana), interacts with the human brain cannabinoid (CB1) receptor and mimics pharmacological effects of endocannabinoids (eCBs) like N-arachidonylethanolamide (AEA). Due to its flexible nature of AEA structure with more than 15 rotatable bonds, establishing its binding mode to the CB1 receptor is elusive. The aim of the present study was to explore possible binding conformations of AEA within the binding pocket of the CB1 receptor confirmed in the recently available X-ray crystal structures of the CB1 receptor and predict essential AEA binding domains. We performed long time molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of plausible AEA docking poses until its receptor binding interactions became optimally established. Our simulation results revealed that AEA favors to bind to the hydrophobic channel (HC) of the CB1 receptor, suggesting that HC holds essential significance in AEA binding to the CB1 receptor. Our results also suggest that the Helix 2 (H2)/H3 region of the CB1 receptor is an AEA binding subsite privileged over the H7 region.

Serotonin elicits long-lasting enhancement of rhythmic respiratory activity in turtle brain stems in vitro

2001 ◽  
Vol 91 (6) ◽  
pp. 2703-2712 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen M. Johnson ◽  
Julia E. R. Wilkerson ◽  
Daniel R. Henderson ◽  
Michael R. Wenninger ◽  
Gordon S. Mitchell
Keyword(s):  
Brain Stem ◽  
Respiratory Activity ◽  
Dependent Manner ◽  
Frequency Increase ◽  
Burst Frequency ◽  
Bath Application ◽  
Burst Amplitude ◽  
Dose Dependent ◽  
The Brain

Brain stem preparations from adult turtles were used to determine how bath-applied serotonin (5-HT) alters respiration-related hypoglossal activity in a mature vertebrate. 5-HT (5–20 μM) reversibly decreased integrated burst amplitude by ∼45% ( P < 0.05); burst frequency decreased in a dose-dependent manner with 20 μM abolishing bursts in 9 of 13 preparations ( P < 0.05). These 5-HT-dependent effects were mimicked by application of a 5-HT1A agonist, but not a 5-HT1B agonist, and were abolished by the broad-spectrum 5-HT antagonist, methiothepin. During 5-HT (20 μM) washout, frequency rebounded to levels above the original baseline for 40 min ( P < 0.05) and remained above baseline for 2 h. A 5-HT3 antagonist (tropesitron) blocked the post-5-HT rebound and persistent frequency increase. A 5-HT3 agonist (phenylbiguanide) increased frequency during and after bath application ( P < 0.05). When phenylbiguanide was applied to the brain stem of brain stem/spinal cord preparations, there was a persistent frequency increase ( P < 0.05), but neither spinal-expiratory nor -inspiratory burst amplitude were altered. The 5-HT3receptor-dependent persistent frequency increase represents a unique model of plasticity in vertebrate rhythm generation.

scholarly journals UV-induced neuronal degeneration in the rat cerebral cortex

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mariko Nakata ◽  
Masayuki Shimoda ◽  
Shinya Yamamoto
Keyword(s):  
Uv Irradiation ◽  
Neuronal Degeneration ◽  
Uv Light ◽  
Brain Lesion ◽  
Terminal Deoxynucleotidyl Transferase ◽  
Heme Oxygenase 1 ◽  
Dependent Manner ◽  
Focal Brain Injury ◽  
The Brain ◽  
And Oxidative Stress

Abstract Irradiation with ultraviolet (UV) light on the cortical surface can induce a focal brain lesion (UV lesion) in rodents. In the present study, we investigated the process of establishing a UV lesion. Rats underwent UV irradiation (365 nm wavelength, 2.0 mWh) over the dura, and time-dependent changes in the cortical tissue were analyzed histologically. We found that the majority of neurons in the lesion started to degenerate within 24 hours and the rest disappeared within 5 days after irradiation. UV-induced neuronal degeneration progressed in a layer-dependent manner. Moreover, UV-induced terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) positivity and heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) immunoreactivity were also detected. These findings suggest that UV irradiation in the brain can induce gradual neural degeneration and oxidative stress. Importantly, UV vulnerability may vary among cortical layers. UV-induced cell death may be due to apoptosis; however, there remains a possibility that UV-irradiated cells were degenerated via processes other than apoptosis. The UV lesion technique will not only assist in investigating brain function at a targeted site but may also serve as a pathophysiological model of focal brain injury and/or neurodegenerative disorders.

scholarly journals pH-responsive antibodies for therapeutic applications

2021 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomasz Klaus ◽  
Sameer Deshmukh
Keyword(s):  
Drug Delivery ◽  
Treatment Outcome ◽  
Tumor Microenvironment ◽  
Dependent Manner ◽  
Therapeutic Antibodies ◽  
Ph Responsive ◽  
Biologic Drugs ◽  
Car T ◽  
Ph Dependent ◽  
The Brain

AbstractTherapeutic antibodies are instrumental in improving the treatment outcome for certain disease conditions. However, to enhance their efficacy and specificity, many efforts are continuously made. One of the approaches that are increasingly explored in this field are pH-responsive antibodies capable of binding target antigens in a pH-dependent manner. We reviewed suitability and examples of these antibodies that are functionally modulated by the tumor microenvironment. Provided in this review is an update about antigens targeted by pH-responsive, sweeping, and recycling antibodies. Applicability of the pH-responsive antibodies in the engineering of chimeric antigen receptor T-cells (CAR-T) and in improving drug delivery to the brain by the enhanced crossing of the blood–brain barrier is also discussed. The pH-responsive antibodies possess strong treatment potential. They emerge as next-generation programmable engineered biologic drugs that are active only within the targeted biological space. Thus, they are valuable in targeting acidified tumor microenvironment because of improved spatial persistence and reduced on-target off-tumor toxicities. We predict that the programmable pH-dependent antibodies become powerful tools in therapies of cancer.

scholarly journals Quercetin Attenuates Brain Oxidative Alterations Induced by Iron Oxide Nanoparticles in Rats

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (8) ◽  
pp. 3829
Author(s):  
Mohamed F. Dora ◽  
Nabil M. Taha ◽  
Mohamed A. Lebda ◽  
Aml E. Hashem ◽  
Mohamed S. Elfeky ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Iron Oxide ◽  
B Cell Lymphoma ◽  
Basal Diet ◽  
Protective Role ◽  
Iron Oxide Nanoparticle ◽  
Albino Rats ◽  
Peroxisome Proliferator ◽  
Dependent Manner ◽  
Peroxisome Proliferator Activated Receptor ◽  
The Brain

Iron oxide nanoparticle (IONP) therapy has diverse health benefits but high doses or prolonged therapy might induce oxidative cellular injuries especially in the brain. Therefore, we conducted the current study to investigate the protective role of quercetin supplementation against the oxidative alterations induced in the brains of rats due to IONPs. Forty adult male albino rats were allocated into equal five groups; the control received a normal basal diet, the IONP group was intraperitoneally injected with IONPs of 50 mg/kg body weight (B.W.) and quercetin-treated groups had IONPs + Q25, IONPs + Q50 and IONPs + Q100 that were orally supplanted with quercetin by doses of 25, 50 and 100 mg quercetin/kg B.W. daily, respectively, administrated with the same dose of IONPs for 30 days. IONPs induced significant increases in malondialdehyde (MDA) and significantly decreased reduced glutathione (GSH) and oxidized glutathione (GSSG). Consequently, IONPs significantly induced severe brain tissue injuries due to the iron deposition leading to oxidative alterations with significant increases in brain creatine phosphokinase (CPK) and acetylcholinesterase (AChE). Furthermore, IONPs induced significant reductions in brain epinephrine, serotonin and melatonin with the downregulation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1-alpha (PGC-1α) and mitochondrial transcription factor A (mtTFA) mRNA expressions. IONPs induced apoptosis in the brain monitored by increases in caspase 3 and decreases in B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl2) expression levels. Quercetin supplementation notably defeated brain oxidative damages and in a dose-dependent manner. Therefore, quercetin supplementation during IONPs is highly recommended to gain the benefits of IONPs with fewer health hazards.

scholarly journals Experimental Assessment of Possible Factors Associated with Tick-Borne Encephalitis Vaccine Failure

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 1172
Author(s):  
Ksenia Tuchynskaya ◽  
Viktor Volok ◽  
Victoria Illarionova ◽  
Egor Okhezin ◽  
Alexandra Polienko ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Vaccine Efficacy ◽  
Protective Efficacy ◽  
Viral Rna ◽  
Dependent Manner ◽  
Related Factors ◽  
Effective Measure ◽  
Challenge Virus ◽  
Tick Borne Encephalitis ◽  
Tbe Virus ◽  
The Brain

Currently the only effective measure against tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) is vaccination. Despite the high efficacy of approved vaccines against TBE, rare cases of vaccine failures are well documented. Both host- and virus-related factors can account for such failures. In this work, we studied the influence of mouse strain and sex and the effects of cyclophosphamide-induced immunosuppression on the efficacy of an inactivated TBE vaccine. We also investigated how an increased proportion of non-infectious particles in the challenge TBE virus would affect the protectivity of the vaccine. The vaccine efficacy was assessed by mortality, morbidity, levels of viral RNA in the brain of surviving mice, and neutralizing antibody (NAb) titers against the vaccine strain and the challenge virus. Two-dose vaccination protected most animals against TBE symptoms and death, and protectivity depended on strain and sex of mice. Immunosuppression decreased the vaccine efficacy in a dose-dependent manner and changed the vaccine-induced NAb spectrum. The vaccination protected mice against TBE virus neuroinvasion and persistence. However, viral RNA was detected in the brain of some asymptomatic animals at 21 and 42 dpi. Challenge with TBE virus enriched with non-infectious particles led to lower NAb titers in vaccinated mice after the challenge but did not affect the protective efficacy.

scholarly journals Genistein reduced the neural apoptosis in the brain of ovariectomised rats by modulating mitochondrial oxidative stress

2010 ◽  
Vol 104 (9) ◽  
pp. 1297-1303 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yan-Hong Huang ◽  
Qing-Hong Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Oxidative Stress ◽  
Learning And Memory ◽  
Caspase 3 ◽  
Visual Learning ◽  
Morris Water Maze Test ◽  
High Dose ◽  
Dependent Manner ◽  
Ovx Rats ◽  
Neural Apoptosis ◽  
The Brain

The present study was undertaken to investigate the antioxidant effect of chronic ingestion of genistein (Gen) against neural death in the brain of ovariectomised (Ovx) rats. The rats were randomly divided into five groups, i.e. sham-operated (sham), Ovx-only, Ovx with 17β-oestradiol, Ovx with low (15 mg/kg) and high (30 mg/kg) doses of Gen (Gen-L and Gen-H), and were orally administered daily with drugs or vehicle for 6 weeks. The learning and memory abilities were measured by Morris water maze test. Oxidative damages in the brain were evaluated by the level of superoxide dismutase (SOD), malondialdehyde (MDA) and monoamine oxidase (MAO) activities. Neural apoptosis was shown by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labelling (TUNEL) staining and caspase-3 activity. In the visual learning and memory test, there were no significant differences among the population means of the five groups. While in the probe trial test, the Gen-L group instead of the Gen-H group exhibited reduced escape latency and increased memory frequency than the Ovx group. Although both doses of Gen could reduce acetylcholinesterase activity, only a low dose of Gen could diminish MDA activity significantly in frontal cortex and enhance SOD content in the hippocampus. In contrast, MAO content was decreased in the cortex by either dose of Gen, while in the hippocampus, only a high dose of Gen appeared to be effective. Interestingly, Gen at both the doses could attenuate the increased number of TUNEL-positive neurons and caspase-3 activity in Ovx rats. These results suggest that Gen confers protection against Ovx-induced neurodegeneration by attenuating oxidative stress, lipid peroxidation and the mitochondria-mediated apoptotic pathway in a region- and dose-dependent manner.

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