What are endocannabinoids, the THC-like substance in marijuana that we humans produce (and how they affect our bodies)

In the last two decades, society has paid a lot of attention to marijuana.

As of early 2023, it has been legalized for recreational use in 21 US states and Washington, DC, and its medical use has grown significantly over the past 20 years.

But few people know that the human body naturally produces chemicals similar to delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol or THC, the psychoactive compound in marijuana, which comes from the Cannabis sativa plant.

these substances they are called endocannabinoids and are found in all types of vertebrates.

Evolutionarily speaking, the appearance of endocannabinoids in vertebrates occurred 575 million years before the appearance of Cannabis sativa.

It’s as if the human body has its own version of a marijuana plant inside, they constantly produce small quantities endocannabinoids.

The similarity of endocannabinoids to THC and their importance in maintaining human health have aroused great interest among scientists, who are already deeply studying their role in health and disease with the aim of using them for therapeutic purposes in the treatment of human diseases.

THC was first identified in 1964 and is one of more than 100 compounds found in marijuana that are part of what are known as cannabinoids.

They are fundamental

Endocannabinoids were only discovered in 1992.

Since then, research has revealed this they are necessary for many physiological functions important for the regulation of human health.

An imbalance in the production of endocannabinoids or in the body’s ability to respond to them can lead to main clinical disorders, such as obesity and neurodegenerative, cardiovascular and inflammatory diseases.

Immunologists have spent more than two decades studying the effects of marijuana cannabinoids and vertebrate endocannabinoids on inflammation and cancer.

Research in our laboratory has shown that endocannabinoids regulate inflammation and other immune functions.

What is the endocannabinoid system?

There are various tissues in the body, including the brain, muscles, fat tissue and immune cells, that produce small amounts of endocannabinoids.

There are two main types of endocannabinoids: anandamide or AEA and 2-arachidonoyl glycerol, known as 2-AG.

Both can activate cannabinoid receptors bodies, which receive and process chemical signals in cells.

One of these receptors, called CB1, is found predominantly in the brain.

The other, called CB2, is found mainly in the immune cells.

Endocannabinoids mainly activate these two receptors They control many bodily functions.

Receivers can be compared to “lock” and receivers endocannabinoids with a “key” that can be opened locking and accessing cells.

All of these receptors and endocannabinoid molecules are collectively known as endocannabinoid system.

The cannabis plant contains another compound called cannabidiol or CBD, which has become popular for its medicinal properties.

Unlike THC, CBD has no psychoactive properties because it does not activate CB1 receptors in the brain.

It also does not activate CB2 receptors, so its effect on immune cells is independent of CB2 receptors.

The role of endocannabinoids in the body

The feeling of euphoria that people experience when they use marijuana comes from THC, which activates CB1 receptors in the brain.

But when endocannabinoids produced by the body activate CB1 receptorsin comparison, they do not evoke such a feeling.

One reason is that the body produces them in smaller amounts than the typical amount of THC in marijuana.

Another is that certain enzymes quickly break them down after they’ve done their job. cellular functions.

However, there is increasing evidence that certain activities can release endocannabinoids that they lift the mood.

Some research suggests that the feeling of euphoria and relaxation you get after exercise, called the “race rush,” is the result of the release of endocannabinoids, not endorphins, as previously thought.

Endocannabinoids regulate various bodily functions such as sleep, mood, mood, appetite, learning, memory, body temperature, pain, immune function and fertility.

They control some of these functions by regulating nerve cell signaling in the brain.

Normally, nerve cells communicate with each other at junctions called synapses.

The brain’s endocannabinoid system regulates this communication at the synapses, which explains its ability to influence a wide range of bodily functions.

Endocannabinoid elixir

Research in our laboratory has shown that certain cells of the immune system produce endocannabinoids that can regulate inflammation and other immune functions through activation of the CB2 receptor.

In addition, we have shown that endocannabinoids are very effective for reduce the debilitating effects of autoimmune diseases.

These are diseases in which the immune system weakens and begins to destroy the body’s organs and tissues.

Examples include multiple sclerosis, lupus, hepatitis and arthritis.

Recent research shows that migraine headaches, fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome, post-traumatic stress disorder and bipolar illness are associated with low endocannabinoid levels.

Also Parkinson’s disease

In a 2022 study, researchers found that a defect in a gene that helps make endocannabinoids causes early-onset Parkinson’s disease.

Another 2022 study linked the same genetic defect to other neurological disorders, including developmental delay, poor muscle control and vision problems.

Other studies have shown that people with defective form of CB1 receptor they have increased sensitivity to pain, such as migraine, and suffer from sleep and memory disorders and anxiety.

Similarity between marijuana and endocannabinoids

We believe that the medicinal properties of THC may be related to the ability of the molecule to compensate for a deficiency or defect in the production or functions of endocannabinoids.

For example, scientists have discovered that people who experience certain species chronic pain may have reduced production endocannabinoids.

People who use marijuana for medical purposes report a significant pain relief.

Because the THC in marijuana is a pain-relieving cannabinoid, it may help compensate for reduced endocannabinoid production or function in such patients.

The role of endocannabinoids remains to be deciphered a new area of ​​health research.

Much more research is certainly needed to decipher its role in the regulation of various functions in the body.

In our opinion, it will also be important to continue to uncover the relationship between deficiencies in the endocannabinoid system and development various diseases and clinical disorders.

We believe that the answers could be very promising for development new therapies that use their own body’s cannabinoids.