Di Marzo Vincenzo
Endocannabinoid Research Group, Institute of Biomolecular Chemistry, National Research Council (CNR), Via Campi Flegrei 34, 80078, Pozzuoli, Naples, Italy.
Nat Rev Drug Discov. 2008 May;7(5):438-55. doi: 10.1038/nrd2553.
As our understanding of the endocannabinoids improves, so does the awareness of their complexity. During pathological states, the levels of these mediators in tissues change, and their effects vary from those of protective endogenous compounds to those of dysregulated signals. These observations led to the discovery of compounds that either prolong the lifespan of endocannabinoids or tone down their action for the potential future treatment of pain, affective and neurodegenerative disorders, gastrointestinal inflammation, obesity and metabolic dysfunctions, cardiovascular conditions and liver diseases. When moving to the clinic, however, the pleiotropic nature of endocannabinoid functions will require careful judgement in the choice of patients and stage of the disorder for treatment.
随着我们对内源性大麻素的理解不断深入，对其复杂性的认识也在提高。在病理状态下，组织中这些介质的水平会发生变化，其作用也从保护性内源性化合物的作用转变为失调信号的作用。这些观察结果促使人们发现了一些化合物，它们要么延长内源性大麻素的寿命，要么减弱其作用，以期未来用于治疗疼痛、情感和神经退行性疾病、胃肠道炎症、肥胖和代谢功能障碍、心血管疾病以及肝脏疾病。然而，当进入临床应用时，内源性大麻素功能的多效性需要在选择患者和疾病治疗阶段时进行仔细判断。
