The role of the endocannabinoid system in the neuroendocrine regulation of energy balance.
J Psychopharmacol. 2011-08-08; 26(1): 114-124
DOI: 10.1177/0269881111408458
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1. J Psychopharmacol. 2012 Jan;26(1):114-24. doi: 10.1177/0269881111408458. Epub
2011 Aug 8.
The role of the endocannabinoid system in the neuroendocrine regulation of energy
balance.
Bermudez-Silva FJ(1), Cardinal P, Cota D.
Author information:
(1)INSERM U862, Avenir group Energy Balance and Obesity, Bordeaux, France.
Animal and human studies carried out so far have established a role for the
endocannabinoid system (ECS) in the regulation of energy balance. Here we
critically discuss the role of the endocannabinoid signalling in brain
structures, such as the hypothalamus and reward-related areas, and its
interaction with neurotransmitter and neuropeptide systems involved in the
regulation of food intake and body weight. The ECS has been found to interact
with peripheral signals, like leptin, insulin, ghrelin and satiety hormones and
the resulting effects on both central and peripheral mechanisms affecting energy
balance and adiposity will be described. Furthermore, ECS dysregulation has been
associated with the development of dyslipidemia, glucose intolerance and obesity;
phenomena that are often accompanied by a plethora of neuroendocrine alterations
which might play a causal role in determining ECS dysregulation. Despite the
withdrawal of the first generation of cannabinoid type 1 receptor (CB1)
antagonists from the pharmaceutical market due to the occurrence of psychiatric
adverse events, new evidence suggests that peripherally restricted CB1
antagonists might be efficacious for the treatment of obesity and its associated
metabolic disorders. Thus, a perspective on new promising strategies to
selectively target the ECS in the context of energy balance regulation is given.
DOI: 10.1177/0269881111408458
PMID: 21824982 [Indexed for MEDLINE]