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Cannabinoid CB 2 receptors in human brain inflammation
Author(s) -
Benito C,
Tolón R M,
Pazos M R,
Núñez E,
Castillo A I,
Romero J
Publication year - 2008
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.0707505
Subject(s) - cannabinoid receptor , receptor , cannabinoid , neuroscience , endocannabinoid system , inflammation , cannabinoid receptor type 2 , cannabinoid receptor agonists , biology , immunology , agonist , biochemistry
The presence of functional cannabinoid CB 2 receptors in the CNS has provoked considerable controversy over the past few years. Formerly considered as an exclusively peripheral receptor, it is now accepted that it is also present in limited amounts and distinct locations in the brain of several animal species, including humans. Furthermore, the inducible nature of these receptors under neuroinflammatory conditions, in contrast to CB 1 , makes them attractive targets for the development of novel therapeutic approaches. In fact, the undesired psychoactive effects caused by CB 1 activation have largely limited the clinical use of cannabinoid‐related compounds that act on these receptors. In this review some recent findings on the antiinflammatory properties of CB 2 receptors are presented, as well as new perspectives that have been obtained based on studies of human postmortem brain samples. In addition, various working hypotheses are also proposed and discussed. British Journal of Pharmacology (2008) 153 , 277–285; doi: 10.1038/sj.bjp.0707505 ; published online 15 October 2007