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Endocannabinoids pp 423–447Cite as

Endocannabinoids and the Digestive Tract and Bladder in Health and Disease

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Part of the book series: Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology ((HEP,volume 231))

Abstract

Components of the so-called endocannabinoid system, i.e., cannabinoid receptors, endocannabinoids, as well as enzymes involved in endocannabinoid synthesis and degradation, have been identified both in the gastrointestinal and in the urinary tract. Evidence suggests that the endocannabinoid system is implicated in many gastrointestinal and urinary physiological and pathophysiological processes, including epithelial cell growth, inflammation, analgesia, and motor function. A pharmacological modulation of the endocannabinoid system might be beneficial for widespread diseases such as gastrointestinal reflux disease, irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease, colon cancer, cystitis, and hyperactive bladder. Drugs that inhibit endocannabinoid degradation and raise the level of endocannabinoids, non-psychotropic cannabinoids (notably cannabidiol), and palmitoylethanolamide, an acylethanolamide co-released with the endocannabinoid anandamide, are promising candidates for gastrointestinal and urinary diseases.

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Abbreviations

2-AG:

2-Arachidonoylglycerol

ABHD6:

α/β-Hydrolase domain-containing protein 6

ACEA:

Arachidonyl-2-chloroethylamide

AEA:

Arachidonoyl ethanolamide

ATP:

Adenosine triphosphate

CB1 :

Cannabinoid receptor type 1

CB2 :

Cannabinoid receptor type 2

CBC:

Cannabichromene

CBD:

Cannabidiol

CBDV:

Cannabidivarin

CBG:

Cannabigerol

CD:

Crohn’s disease

CGRP:

Calcitonin gene-related polypeptide

CNS:

Central nervous system

COX:

Cyclooxygenase

DRG:

Rat dorsal root ganglia

DVC:

Dorsal vagal complex

EDTA:

Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid

EFS:

Electric field stimulation

ENS:

Enteric nervous system

EP1:

Prostaglandin E receptor 1 (subtype EP1)

FAAH:

Fatty acid amide hydrolase

GI:

Gastrointestinal

GPR119:

G protein-coupled receptor 119

GPR55:

G protein-coupled receptor 55

IBD:

Inflammatory bowel diseases

IBS:

Irritable bowel syndrome

IHC:

Immunohistochemistry

LES:

Lower esophageal sphincter

LPS:

Lipopolysaccharide

MAGL:

Monoacylglycerol lipase

NAAA:

N-acylethanolamine-hydrolyzing acid amidase

NAE:

N-acylethanolamine

NAPE-PLD:

N-acyl phosphatidylethanolamine phospholipase D

OEA:

Oleoylethanolamide

PEA:

Palmitoylethanolamide

PPARs:

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors

PPARα:

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α

PPARγ:

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ

THC:

Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol

THCV:

Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabivarin

TNF-α:

Tumor necrosis factor alpha

TRP:

Transient receptor potential channels

TRPM8:

Transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily M member 8

TRPV1:

Transient receptor potential vanilloid 1

TRPV4:

Transient receptor potential vanilloid 4

UC:

Ulcerative colitis

WB:

Western blot

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pharmacy, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy

    Angelo A. Izzo

  2. Endocannabinoid Research Group, Naples, Italy

    Angelo A. Izzo

  3. Bioanalysis and Pharmacology of Bioactive Lipids Research Group, Louvain Drug Research Institute, Université catholique de Louvain, Bruxelles, Belgium

    Giulio G. Muccioli

  4. Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Temple University School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Michael R. Ruggieri

  5. Institute of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria

    Rudolf Schicho

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  1. Angelo A. Izzo
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  2. Giulio G. Muccioli
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  3. Michael R. Ruggieri
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  4. Rudolf Schicho
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Correspondence to Angelo A. Izzo .

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  1. Professor of Neuropharmacology, University of Aberdeen Institute of Medical Sciences, Aberdeen, United Kingdom

    Roger G. Pertwee

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Izzo, A.A., Muccioli, G.G., Ruggieri, M.R., Schicho, R. (2015). Endocannabinoids and the Digestive Tract and Bladder in Health and Disease. In: Pertwee, R. (eds) Endocannabinoids. Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology, vol 231. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-20825-1_15

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