Cincinnati, Ohio 45237: Fill & Download for Free

The Emerging Role of the Endocannabinoid System in Endocrine Regulation and Energy BalanceUberto Pagotto, Giovanni Marsicano, Daniela Cota, Beat Lutz, and Renato Pasquali Endocrinology Unit, Department of Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology, and Center for Applied Biomedical Research(U.P., R.P.), Sant’ Orsola-Malpighi Hospital, 40138 Bologna, Italy; Department of Physiological Chemistry (G.M., B.L.), Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, 55099 Mainz, Germany; and University of Cincinnati, Department of Psychiatry,Obesity Research Center, Genome Research Institute (D.C.), Cincinnati, Ohio 45237During the last few years, the endocannabinoid system hasemerged as a highly relevant topic in the scientific commu-nity. Many different regulatory actions have been attributedto endocannabinoids, and their involvement in several patho-physiological conditions is under intense scrutiny. Cannabi-noid receptors, named CB1 receptor and CB2 receptor, firstdiscovered as the molecular targets of the psychotropic com-ponent of the plant Cannabis sativa, participate in the phys-iological modulation of many central and peripheral func-tions. CB2 receptor is mainly expressed in immune cells,whereas CB1 receptor is the most abundant G protein-coupledreceptor expressed in the brain. CB1 receptor is expressed inthe hypothalamus and the pituitary gland, and its activationis known to modulate all the endocrine hypothalamic-periph-eral endocrine axes. An increasing amount of data highlightsthe role of the system in the stress response by influencing thehypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and in the control of re-production by modifying gonadotropin release, fertility, andsexual behavior.The ability of the endocannabinoid system to control ap-petite, food intake, and energy balance has recently receivedgreat attention, particularly in the light of the different modesof action underlying these functions. The endocannabinoidsystem modulates rewarding properties of food by acting atspecific mesolimbic areas in the brain. In the hypothalamus,CB1 receptor and endocannabinoids are integrated compo-nents of the networks controlling appetite and food intake.Interestingly, the endocannabinoid system was recentlyshown to control metabolic functions by acting on peripheraltissues, such as adipocytes, hepatocytes, the gastrointestinaltract, and, possibly, skeletal muscle. The relevance of the sys-tem is further strenghtened by the notion that drugs inter-fering with the activity of the endocannabinoid system areconsidered as promising candidates for the treatment of var-ious diseases, including obesity. (Endocrine Reviews 27:73–100, 2006)