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Cannabinoid pharmacology: the first 66 years
Author(s) -
Pertwee Roger G
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
british journal of pharmacology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.432
H-Index - 211
eISSN - 1476-5381
pISSN - 0007-1188
DOI - 10.1038/sj.bjp.0706406
Subject(s) - cannabinoid receptor , cannabinoid , pharmacology , cannabinoid receptor agonists , clinical pharmacology , cannabinoid receptor antagonist , endogeny , synthetic cannabinoids , endocannabinoid system , cannabis , receptor , neuroscience , medicine , biology , endocrinology , psychiatry , agonist
Research into the pharmacology of individual cannabinoids that began in the 1940s, several decades after the presence of a cannabinoid was first detected in cannabis, is concisely reviewed. Also described is how this pharmacological research led to the discovery of cannabinoid CB 1 and CB 2 receptors and of endogenous ligands for these receptors, to the development of CB 1 ‐ and CB 2 ‐selective agonists and antagonists and to the realization that the endogenous cannabinoid system has significant roles in both health and disease, and that drugs which mimic, augment or block the actions of endogenously released cannabinoids must have important therapeutic applications. Some goals for future research are identified. British Journal of Pharmacology (2006) 147 , S163–S171. doi: 10.1038/sj.bjp.0706406