How do ENDOCANNABINOIDS and Your Immune System Work?
ENDOCANNABINOIDS ARE BELIEVED TO CONTROL IMMUNE FUNCTIONS AND PLAY A ROLE IN IMMUNE HOMEOSTASIS. IMMUNE CELLS EXPRESS BOTH CB1 AND CB2 RECEPTORS, HAVE FUNCTIONAL CANNABINOID TRANSPORT AND
BREAKDOWN MECHANISMS.
THE ENDOCANNABINOID SYSTEM
Endocannabinoids, as typical bioactive lipids, have a short half-life and appear to act in an autocrine and paracrine fashion. Their immediate effective action on immune function may be at localized sites in the periphery and within the central nervous system. It is speculated that endocannabinoids play an important role in maintaining the overall "fine-tuning" of the immune homeostatic balance within the host.
Immune Cell
Neuron
CB2 Receptors
CB1 Receptors
Cannabinoid
Endocannabinoids are believed to control immune functions and play a role in immune homeostasis
Immune cells express both CB1 and CB2 receptors, secrete endocannabinoids and have functional cannabinoid transport and breakdown mechanisms. There is a large body of data that supports a functional relevance for 2-arachidonoy|glycerol (2-AG) as acting through the cannabinoid receptor type 2 (CB2R) to inhibit migratory activities for a diverse array of immune cell types. However, unequivocal data that supports a functional linkage of anandamide (AEA) to a cannabinoid receptor in immune modulation remains to be obtained.
ENDOCANNABINOIDS
PHYTOCANNABINOIDS
CB2V receptors are mostly found within the immune system.
AEA (Amandamide)
2-AG (2-Arachidonoylglycerol)
THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol) '
CBD (Cannabidiol)
The effects of each cannabinoid are dependent on what endocannabinoid receptor it interacts with. For example, most CB1 receptors are concentrated in the central nervous system, peripheral nervous system, and some organs. Therefore, THC provides the greatest effects to those areas. Most CB2 receptors exist in the immune tissues, which means the effects would be most pronounced for the immune system. RYAH Group
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