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Molecular Targets of the Phytocannabinoids: A Complex Picture

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Phytocannabinoids

Part of the book series: Progress in the Chemistry of Organic Natural Products ((POGRCHEM,volume 103))

Abstract

For centuries, hashish and marihuana, both derived from the Indian hemp Cannabis sativa L., have been used for their medicinal, as well as, their psychotropic effects. These effects are associated with the phytocannabinoids which are oxygen containing C21 aromatic hydrocarbons found in Cannabis sativa L. To date, over 120 phytocannabinoids have been isolated from Cannabis. For many years, it was assumed that the beneficial effects of the phytocannabinoids were mediated by the cannabinoid receptors, CB1 and CB2. However, today we know that the picture is much more complex, with the same phytocannabinoid acting at multiple targets. This contribution focuses on the molecular pharmacology of the phytocannabinoids, including Δ9-THC and CBD, from the prospective of the targets at which these important compounds act.

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Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge research support from NIH/NIDA grants R01 DA003934 and K05 DA021358 (P.H.R.).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Chemistry and Biochemistry Department, UNC Greensboro, 1400 Spring Garden Street, Greensboro, NC, 27412, USA

    Paula Morales, Dow P. Hurst & Patricia H. Reggio

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  1. Paula Morales
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  2. Dow P. Hurst
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  3. Patricia H. Reggio
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Correspondence to Patricia H. Reggio .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Medicinal Chemistry & Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA

    A. Douglas Kinghorn

  2. Institute of Organic Chemistry, Johannes Kepler University Linz, Linz, Austria

    Heinz Falk

  3. Research Department of Pharmaceutical and Biological Chemistry, UCL School of Pharmacy, London, United Kingdom

    Simon Gibbons

  4. Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Science, Hokkaido University , Sapporo, Japan

    Jun'ichi Kobayashi

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Morales, P., Hurst, D.P., Reggio, P.H. (2017). Molecular Targets of the Phytocannabinoids: A Complex Picture. In: Kinghorn, A., Falk, H., Gibbons, S., Kobayashi, J. (eds) Phytocannabinoids. Progress in the Chemistry of Organic Natural Products, vol 103. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-45541-9_4

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