Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UNIPROT:P21554 (cannabinoid receptor)
 3,582 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The enzyme Fatty Acid Amide Hydrolase (FAAH) is a key regulator of the endogenous levels of a family of biologically active lipid mediators, the fatty acid amides. These include anandamide, oleoyl ethanolamide and palmitoyl ethanolamide, and their effects are mediated by a variety of downstream targets including cannabinoid receptors and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs). Activation of both of these may have anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective effects. Levels of all three mediators are low in normal nervous tissue, but substantially elevated in mice lacking FAAH as a result of genetic deletion. There is a long anecdotal history of cannabis use by patients suffering from multiple sclerosis, and preclinical studies have indicated beneficial effects of cannabinoid receptor stimulation on both long-term outcome and acute muscle spasm in rodent models of multiple sclerosis (experimental autoimmune encephalitis; EAE). Thus far no report has appeared on the effect of inhibition of FAAH on the progression of EAE. Using a chronic mouse EAE model, we present data indicating that mice lacking FAAH experience an initial inflammatory phase of EAE similar in severity to wild type controls, but exhibited a more substantial clinical remission compared to wild type mice.
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PMID:Genetic deletion of Fatty Acid Amide Hydrolase results in improved long-term outcome in chronic autoimmune encephalitis. 1850 10

The endocannabinoid system comprises receptors (CB1 and CB2 cannabinoid receptors), enzymes (Fatty Acid Amide Hydrolase [FAAH], which synthesizes the endocannabinoid anandamide), as well as the anandamide membrane transporter (AMT). Importantly, previous experiments have demonstrated that the endocannabinoid system modulates multiple neurobiological functions, including sleep. For instance, SR141716A (the CB1 cannabinoid receptor antagonist) as well as URB597 (the FAAH inhibitor) increase waking in rats whereas VDM-11 (the blocker of the AMT) enhances sleep in rodents. However, no further evidence is available regarding the neurobiological role of the endocannabinoid system in the homeostatic control of sleep. Therefore, the aim of the current experiment was to test if SR141716A, URB597 or VDM-11 would modulate the sleep rebound after sleep deprivation. Thus, these compounds were systemically injected (5, 10, 20mg/kg; ip; separately each one) into rats after prolonged waking. We found that SR141716A and URB597 blocked in dose-dependent fashion the sleep rebound whereas animals treated with VDM-11 displayed sleep rebound during the recovery period. Complementary, injection after sleep deprivation of either SR141716A or URB597 enhanced dose-dependently the extracellular levels of dopamine (DA), norepinephrine (NE), epinephrine (EP), serotonin (5-HT), as well as adenosine (AD) while VDM-11 caused a decline in contents of these molecules. These findings suggest that SR141716A or URB597 behave as a potent stimulants since they suppressed the sleep recovery period after prolonged waking. It can be concluded that elements of the endocannabinoid system, such as the CB1 cannabinoid receptor, FAAH and AMT, modulate the sleep homeostasis after prolonged waking.
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PMID:Revealing the role of the endocannabinoid system modulators, SR141716A, URB597 and VDM-11, in sleep homeostasis. 2774 43