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Endocannabinoids and Metabolic Disorders

  • Chapter
Endocannabinoids

Part of the book series: Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology ((HEP,volume 231))

Abstract

The endocannabinoid system (ECS) is known to exert regulatory control on essentially every aspect related to the search for, and the intake, metabolism and storage of calories, and consequently it represents a potential pharmacotherapeutic target for obesity, diabetes and eating disorders. While the clinical use of the first generation of cannabinoid type 1 (CB1) receptor blockers has been halted due to the psychiatric side effects that their use occasioned, recent research in animals and humans has provided new knowledge on the mechanisms of actions of the ECS in the regulation of eating behavior, energy balance, and metabolism. In this review, we discuss these recent advances and how they may allow targeting the ECS in a more specific and selective manner for the future development of therapies against obesity, metabolic syndrome, and eating disorders.

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Abbreviations

2-AG:

2-Arachidonoylglycerol

ACC1:

Acetyl coenzyme-A carboxylase-1

AEA:

Anandamide

AMPK:

AMP-activated protein kinase

AN:

Anorexia nervosa

BAT:

Brown adipose tissue

BMI:

Body mass index

BN:

Bulimia nervosa

CB1 :

Cannabinoid type 1

CB1-KO:

Mice with genetic deletion of CB1

CB2 :

Cannabinoid type 2

CNS:

Central nervous system

DHA:

Docosahexaenoic acid

ECS:

Endocannabinoid system

EPA:

Eicosapentaenoic acid

ERK 1/2:

Extracellular-signal regulated kinase 1/2

FAK:

Focal adhesion kinases

FAS:

Fatty acid synthase

IRS:

Insulin receptor substrate

MCH:

Melanin-concentrating hormone

MEK 1/2:

Mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 1/2

MGL:

Monoacylglycerol lipase

mRNA:

Messenger ribonucleic acid

NAc:

Nucleus accumbens

NTS:

Nucleus of the solitary tract

OEA:

Oleoylethanolamide

PEA:

Palmitoylethanolamide

PKB:

Protein kinase B

PPARγ:

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ

PUFAs:

Polyunsaturated fatty acids

PVN:

Paraventricular nucleus

SF1:

Steroidogenic factor 1

Sim1:

Single-minded homolog 1

SNS:

Sympathetic nervous system

TRPV1:

Transient receptor potential vanilloid 1

VTA:

Ventral tegmental area

WAT:

White adipose tissue

WT:

Wild-type

Δ9-THC:

Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by INSERM, Aquitaine Region, University of Bordeaux, and University hospital of Bordeaux. The authors declare no competing financial interest.

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Gatta-Cherifi, B., Cota, D. (2015). Endocannabinoids and Metabolic Disorders. In: Pertwee, R. (eds) Endocannabinoids. Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology, vol 231. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-20825-1_13

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