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)

Obesity is a major health problem and as a result, it is reasonable to consider pharmacological approaches alongside approaches involving diet, physical activity and lifestyle change. The currently available drugs, sibutramine and orlistat, result in modest, clinically worthwhile weight loss, with demonstrable improvements in co-morbidity, but do not meet the often unrealistic expectations of patients or health care professionals managing obese patients. There is insufficient data on efficacy or safety of other agents to support their use. Many new pharmacological approaches are under investigation. These include gut hormones, such a peptide YY (3-36) and cholecystokinin that normally signal satiety, and centrally-acting agents such as serotonin agonists, the anticonvulsants topiramate and zonisamide, cannabinoid receptor antagonists and drugs that act on other peptide neurotransmitter systems such as NPY and the melanocortins. Given the multiple pathways that influence energy balance, it is likely that therapies targeting more than one control system may be required in the future to meet the expectations and needs of patients needing to lose weight for medical reasons.
 ...
PMID:Clinical evaluation of anti-obesity drugs. 1505 16

Within the hypothalamic arcuate nucleus, two neuronal subpopulations play particularly important roles in energy balance; neurones expressing neuropeptide Y (NPY), agouti-related peptide (AgRP) and GABA are orexigenic, whereas neurones expressing pro-opiomelanocortin and CART are anorexigenic. The pivotal role of these neuropeptides in energy homeostasis is well-known, although GABA may also be an important signal because targeted knockout of the GABA transporter in NPY/AgRP/GABA neurones results in a lean, obesity-resistant phenotype. In the present study, we describe an in vitro model of K(+)-evoked GABA release from the hypothalamus and determine the effects of cannabinoid receptor activation. K(+)-evoked GABA release was sensitive to leptin, insulin and PYY(3-36), indicating that GABA was released by arcuate NPY/AgRP/GABA neurones. In the presence of tetrodotoxin (TTX), the cannabinoid CB1 receptor agonist WIN 55,212-2 inhibited K(+)-evoked GABA release. This was prevented by the CB1 receptor inverse agonist rimonabant. Rimonabant had no effect when applied alone. In the absence of TTX, however, the opposite effects were observed: WIN 55,212-2 had no effect while rimonabant inhibited GABA release. This indicates that GABA release can involve an indirect, TTX-sensitive mechanism. The most parsimonious explanation for the inhibition of GABA release by a CB receptor inverse agonist is via the disinhibition of an cannabinoid-sensitive inhibitory input onto GABAergic neurones. One local source of an inhibitory neurotransmitter is the opioidergic arcuate neurones. In our in vitro model, K(+)-evoked GABA release was inhibited by the endogenous opioid peptide beta-endorphin in a naloxone-sensitive manner. The inhibitory effect of rimonabant was also prevented by naloxone and a kappa-opioid receptor selective antagonist, suggesting that GABA release from arcuate NPY/AgRP/GABA neurones can be inhibited by endogenous opioid peptides, and that the release of opioid peptides is sensitive to cannabinoids.
 ...
PMID:Direct and indirect effects of cannabinoids on in vitro GABA release in the rat arcuate nucleus. 2023 27

Hedonic and homeostatic hunger represent two different forms of eating: just for pleasure or following energy deprivation, respectively. Consumption of food for pleasure was reported to be associated with increased circulating levels of both the orexigenic peptide ghrelin and some specific endocannabinoids in normal-weight subjects and patients with morbid obesity. To date, the effects of palatable food on these mediators in Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) are still unknown. To explore the role of some gastrointestinal orexigenic and anorexigenic peptides and endocannabinoids (and some related congeners) in chocolate consumption, we measured changes in circulating levels of ghrelin, cholecystokinin (CCK), peptide YY (PYY), anandamide (AEA), 2-arachidonoyl-glycerol (2-AG), palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) and oleoylethanolamide (OEA) in eight satiated adult PWS patients after consumption of chocolate and, on a separate day, of a non-palatable isocaloric food with the same macronutrient composition. Evaluation of hunger and satiety was also performed by visual analogic scale. The anticipatory phase and the consumption of food for pleasure were associated with decreased circulating levels of PYY. An increase in PEA levels was also observed. By contrast, circulating levels of ghrelin, CCK, AEA, 2-AG and OEA did not differ before and after the exposure/ingestion of either chocolate or non-palatable foods. Hunger and satiety were similar in the hedonic and non-palatable sessions. In conclusion, when motivation to eat is promoted by highly palatable foods, a depressed post-prandial PYY secretion is observed in PWS. Although preliminary, these findings seem to hypothesize a possible role of PYY agonists in the management of PWS patients. Abbreviations: AEA, Anandamide; 2-AG, 2-arachidonoyl-glycerol; CB1, cannabinoid receptor type 1; OEA, oleoylethanolamide; PEA, palmitoylethanolamide; PWS: Prader-Willi syndrome; VAS, visual analog scales.
 ...
PMID:Hedonic eating in Prader-Willi syndrome is associated with blunted PYY secretion. 2865 28