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Endocannabinoids and Their Synthetic Analogs

  • Chapter
Book cover The Cannabinoid Receptors

Part of the book series: The Receptors ((REC))

Abstract

The discovery of endogenous cannabinoids has provided a basis for understanding the structural requirements for activation of the two known cannabinoid receptors CB1 and CB2. The endocannabinoids are fatty acid analogs represented by N-arachidonoylethanolamine (anandamide, AEA) and 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG). These endogenous ligands are biosynthesized and deactivated by a number of enzymes and a transporter system, all of which can be modulated by ligands whose structures can encompass the essential endocannabinoid features. For this reason a significant amount of work has sought to develop synthetic ligands structurally related to AEA and 2-AG. These ligands are being used to explore the structural features of the different cannabinergic proteins and have also proven to be valuable pharmacological tools for studying the physiology and biochemistry of the endocannabinoid system.

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Acknowledgments

This review is supported by grants from National Institute on Drug Abuse (DA03801, DA07215 and DA09158). We thank Drs. Richard I. Duclos, Jr. and Dai Lu for their discussions and technical help in preparing the manuscript.

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  1. Center for Drug Discovery, Northeastern University, 360 Huntington Avenue, 116 Mugar Hall, Boston, MA 02115, USA

    V. Kiran Vemuri & Alexandros Makriyannis

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  1. V. Kiran Vemuri
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  2. Alexandros Makriyannis
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Correspondence to Alexandros Makriyannis .

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  1. University of North Carolina, Greensboro, NC, USA

    Patricia H. Reggio

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Vemuri, V.K., Makriyannis, A. (2009). Endocannabinoids and Their Synthetic Analogs. In: Reggio, P.H. (eds) The Cannabinoid Receptors. The Receptors. Humana Press. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59745-503-9_2

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