Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2009 Dec;8(6):403-21.
doi: 10.2174/187152709789824660.

The endocannabinoid system and pain

Josée Guindon  1 , Andrea G Hohmann
Affiliations
Review

The endocannabinoid system and pain

Josée Guindon et al. CNS Neurol Disord Drug Targets. 2009 Dec.

Abstract

The therapeutic potential of cannabinoids has been the topic of extensive investigation following the discovery of cannabinoid receptors and their endogenous ligands. Cannabinoid receptors and their endogenous ligands are present at supraspinal, spinal and peripheral levels. Cannabinoids suppress behavioral responses to noxious stimulation and suppress nociceptive processing through activation of cannabinoid CB(1) and CB(2) receptor subtypes. Endocannabinoids, the brain's own cannabis-like substances, share the same molecular target as Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol, the main psychoactive component in cannabis. Endocannabinoids serve as synaptic circuit breakers and regulate multiple physiological and pathological conditions, e.g. regulation of food intake, immunomodulation, inflammation, analgesia, cancer, addictive behavior, epilepsy and others. This review will focus on uncovering the roles of anandamide and 2-arachidonoylglycerol, the two best characterized endocannabinoids identified to date, in controlling nociceptive responding. The roles of anandamide and 2-arachidonoylglycerol, released under physiological conditions, in modulating nociceptive responding at different levels of the neuraxis will be emphasized in this review. Effects of modulation of endocannabinoid levels through inhibition of endocannabinoid hydrolysis and uptake is also compared with effects of exogenous administration of synthetic endocannabinoids in acute, inflammatory and neuropathic pain models. Finally, the therapeutic potential of the endocannabinoid signaling system is discussed in the context of identifying novel pharmacotherapies for the treatment of pain.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

CONFLICT OF INTEREST

The authors state no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Formation and inactivation of anandamide and 2-arachidonoylglycerol
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Abel EL. Marijuana: The first twelve thousand years. New York: Plenum Press; 1980.
    1. Di Marzo V, De Petrocellis L. Plant, synthetic, and endogenous cannabinoids in medicine. Annu. Rev. Med. 2006;57:553–574. - PubMed
    1. Zias J, Stark H, Sellgman J, Levy R, Werker E, Breuer A, Mechoulam R. Early medical use of cannabis. Nature. 1993;363:215. - PubMed
    1. Gaoni Y, Mechoulam R. Isolation, structure and partial synthesis of an active constituent of hashish. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1964;86:1646–1647.
    1. Di Marzo V. 'Endocannabinoids' and other fatty acid derivatives with cannabimimetic properties: biochemistry and possible physiopathological relevance. Biochim. Biophys. Acta. 1998;1392:153–175. - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms