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  • Metabolic Messengers
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Metabolic Messengers: endocannabinoids

Nature Metabolism volume 4, pages 848–855 (2022)Cite this article

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Abstract

Endocannabinoid signalling is considered one of the most important modulatory systems in a whole organism. Research has yielded great insight on the mechanisms that link endocannabinoids and metabolic functions. Here, we provide a brief overview of the metabolic roles of endocannabinoids in tissue, cellular and subcellular-dependent mechanisms. In general, we point out how the central and peripheral control of body energy metabolism likely represents the main function of type-1 cannabinoid receptors. More specifically, we focus on recent advances underlying mechanisms of endocannabinoid control of cell metabolism through the modulation of the functions of specific organelles. While highlighting a historical summary and summarizing past discoveries, this short review aims at proposing future open questions for a field that does not stop surprising researchers with unexpected and exciting discoveries.

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Fig. 1: Timeline of (endo)cannabinoid research.
Fig. 2: Target locations and metabolic activities of endocannabinoids.
Fig. 3: Diverse CB1R signalling cascades and their functions.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the late Federico Massa for his friendship. We thank Daniela Cota and Francis Chaouloff for critically reading the manuscript. We also thank all the members of A.B.-G.’s, J.P.B.’s and G.M.’s labs for useful discussions and for their invaluable support. The work of A.B.-G. is supported by: Agencia Estatal de Investigación-FEDER (RTI2018-093667-A-100); the ERC starting Grant (HighMemory, #948217); the IBRO Return Home Fellowships 2019 and the Ramon y Cajal programme (RYC-2017-21776) funded by MCIN/ AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and FSE). The work of J.P.B. is funded by the Agencia Estatal de Investigación (PID2019-105699RB-I00; PDC2021-121013-I00; RED2018‐102576‐T; MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 & European Union NextGenerationEU/PRTR), Plan Nacional de Drogas (Ministerio de Sanidad; 2020I028) and Junta de Castilla y León (CS/151P20 and Escalera de Excelencia CLU-2017-03). The work of G.M. is funded by: INSERM, European Research Council (Endofood, ERC–2010–StG–260515 and CannaPreg, ERC-2014-PoC-640923, MiCaBra, ERC-2017-AdG-786467), Fondation pour la Recherche Medicale (FRM, DRM20101220445), the Human Frontiers Science Program, Region Nouvelle Aquitaine, Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR, NeuroNutriSens ANR-13-BSV4-0006 and ORUPS ANR-16-CE37-0010-01 and BRAIN ANR-10-LABX-0043).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Cell-type mechanisms in normal and pathological behavior Research Group. IMIM-Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute, PRBB, Barcelona, Spain

    Arnau Busquets-García

  2. Institute of Functional Biology and Genomics, University of Salamanca, CSIC, Salamanca, Spain

    Juan P. Bolaños

  3. Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red sobre Fragilidad y Envejecimiento Saludable (CIBERFES), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain

    Juan P. Bolaños

  4. Institute of Biomedical Research of Salamanca, University Hospital of Salamanca, University of Salamanca, CSIC, Salamanca, Spain

    Juan P. Bolaños

  5. INSERM, U1215 NeuroCentre Magendie, Bordeaux, France

    Giovanni Marsicano

  6. University of Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France

    Giovanni Marsicano

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  1. Arnau Busquets-García
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  2. Juan P. Bolaños
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  3. Giovanni Marsicano
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Correspondence to Arnau Busquets-García, Juan P. Bolaños or Giovanni Marsicano.

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Nature Metabolism thanks Tibor Harkany, Vincenzo Di Marzo and Joseph Tam for their contribution to the peer review of this work. Primary handling editor: Alfredo Gimenez-Cassina in collaboration with the Nature Metabolism team.

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Busquets-García, A., Bolaños, J.P. & Marsicano, G. Metabolic Messengers: endocannabinoids. Nat Metab 4, 848–855 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s42255-022-00600-1

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