Functional Fine-Tuning of Metabolic Pathways by the Endocannabinoid System—Implications for Health and Disease

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The endocannabinoid system (ECS) employs a huge network of molecules (receptors, ligands, and enzymatic machinery molecules) whose interactions with other cellular networks have still not been fully elucidated. Endogenous cannabinoids are molecules with the primary function of control of multiple metabolic pathways. Maintenance of tissue and cellular homeostasis by functional fine-tuning of essential metabolic pathways is one of the key characteristics of the ECS. It is implicated in a variety of physiological and pathological states and an attractive pharmacological target yet to reach its full potential. This review will focus on the involvement of ECS in glucose and lipid metabolism, food intake regulation, immune homeostasis, respiratory health, inflammation, cancer and other physiological and pathological states will be substantiated using freely available data from open-access databases, experimental data and literature review.

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ICESI University Announces Free Cannabis Science Course for Members of Indigenous Communities In Colombia

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ICESI University in Cali, Colombia announced that it will be hosting a free day-long course on cannabis science for indigenous communities that have been historically discriminated.

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Intro to the Endocannabinoid System

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Dr. Sherry Yafai of the Releaf Institute gives the basics on the endocannabinoid system and cannabinoids. By the end of this lecture, participants will be able to describe the endocannabinoid system and relevant receptors, assess the current clinical evidence for cannabinoids as a therapeutic treatment option, and as well as discussing the need for further education for healthcare providers.

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Treatment of Chronic Pruritus With Medical Marijuana

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Chronic pruritus is a debilitating symptom that is associated with numerous dermatologic, neurologic, and systemic diseases. It is often resistant to treatment and can cause a severe reduction in quality of life.1 Currently, to our knowledge, there is a lack of US Food and Drug Administration–approved therapies for pruritus, so treatment can be difficult and relies on off-label therapeutics. In this article, we report a case of successful use of medical marijuana for treating chronic pruritus.

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Exploring the Use of Medical Marijuana for Supportive Care of Oncology Patients

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Medical marijuana, also known as cannabis, is being sought by patients and survivors to alleviate common symptoms of cancer and its treatments that affect their quality of life. The National Academy of Sciences (2017) reports conclusive or substantial evidence that cannabis is successful in treating chronic cancer pain and chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting, moderate evidence that cannabinoids are beneficial for sleep disorders that accompany chronic illnesses, and limited evidence supporting use for appetite stimulation and anxiety.

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Cannabis, Anxiety & Depression

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Dr. Genevieve Newton outlines the preclinical and clinical research on the applications of cannabis for anxiety and depression.

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Antimicrobial Studies of Cannabidiol as Biomaterials against superbug MRSA

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Cannabidiol (CBD) has anti-tumorigenic activity. However, the anti-cancer effect of CBD on head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) remains unclear. The cytotoxicity of CBD on HNSCC was analyzed using cell survival and colony-forming assays in vitro. RNA-seq was used for determining the mechanism underlying CBD-induced cell death.

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Cannabidiol enhances cytotoxicity of anti-cancer drugs in human head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

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Cannabidiol (CBD) has anti-tumorigenic activity. However, the anti-cancer effect of CBD on head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) remains unclear. The cytotoxicity of CBD on HNSCC was analyzed using cell survival and colony-forming assays in vitro. RNA-seq was used for determining the mechanism underlying CBD-induced cell death.

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Cannabis sativa and Skin Health: Dissecting the Role of Phytocannabinoids

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The use of Cannabis sativa is currently recognized to ease certain types of chronic pain, reduce chemotherapy-induced nausea, and improve anxiety. Nevertheless, few studies highlighted the therapeutic potential of C. sativa extracts and related phytocannabinoids for a variety of widespread skin disorders including acne, atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, pruritus, and pain. This review summarized the current evidence on the effects of phytocannabinoids at the cutaneous level through the collection of in vitro, in vivo, and clinical studies published on PubMed, Scopus, Embase, and Web of Science until October 2020.

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Residues of herbal hemp leaf teas – How much of the cannabinoids remain?

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Herbal teas of fiber-type hemp varieties (Cannabis sativa L.) rich in cannabidiolic acid (CBDA) and cannabidiol (CBD) and poor in Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol acid (THCA) and Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) are very popular today. The conditions for preparing herbal infusions are not well standardized and analysis of the lipophilic cannabinoids in infusions is difficult. Therefore, we analyzed the hemp leaf residues after tea preparation by using a response surface modelling approach to estimate the effects of variations in temperature, water volume and extraction time on the residual content of five cannabinoids (CBDA, CBD, THCA, THC, cannabinol (CBN)) in the hemp leaves after extraction.

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Canna Talk with Frye & Wilson King: Cannabis for Women’s Health, Pregnancy & Sexual Function

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In the premier debut of Canna Talk with Frye & Wilson-King, Dr. Wilson King discusses cannabis, women’s health, pregnancy, breastfeeding, and sexual function.

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Endocannabinoids Modulate Human Epidermal Keratinocyte Proliferation and Survival via the Sequential Engagement of Cannabinoid Receptor-1 and Transient Receptor Potential Vanilloid-1

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We have recently shown that lipid mediators of the emerging endocannabinoid system (ECS) are key players of growth control of the human pilosebaceous unit. In this study, we asked whether the prototypic endocannabinoid anandamide (N-arachidonoylethanolamine, AEA) has a role in growth and survival of epidermal keratinocytes (KCs).

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