Division of Cardiology, Faculty of Medicine, Foundation for Medical Researches, Geneva University Hospitals, Avenue de la Roseraie 64, 1211 Geneva 4, Switzerland.
Trends Pharmacol Sci. 2012 Jun;33(6):331-40. doi: 10.1016/j.tips.2012.03.002. Epub 2012 Apr 13.
Starting from the well-documented effects of marijuana smoking on heart rate and blood pressure, the cardiovascular effects of Δ⁹-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC, the main psychotropic ingredient of Cannabis) and endocannabinoids [THC endogenous counterparts that activate cannabinoid receptor type 1 (CB₁) and 2 (CB₂)] have been thoroughly investigated. These studies were mostly aimed at establishing the molecular bases of the hypotensive actions of THC, endocannabinoids and related molecules, but also evaluated their therapeutic potential in cardiac injury protection, metabolic cardiovascular risk factors and atherosclerotic plaque vulnerability. The results of these investigations, reviewed here, also served to highlight some of the most peculiar aspects of endocannabinoid signaling, such as redundancy in endocannabinoid targets and the often dualistic role of CB₁ and CB₂ receptors during pathological conditions.
从大麻吸烟对心率和血压的有充分记录的影响开始，Δ⁹-四氢大麻酚（THC，大麻的主要精神活性成分）和内源性大麻素[THC 的内源性对应物，可激活大麻素受体 1（CB₁）和 2（CB₂）]的心血管效应已经得到了彻底的研究。这些研究主要旨在确定 THC、内源性大麻素和相关分子的降压作用的分子基础，但也评估了它们在心梗保护、代谢性心血管危险因素和动脉粥样硬化斑块易损性方面的治疗潜力。这里回顾的这些研究结果也凸显了内源性大麻素信号传递的一些最独特的方面，例如内源性大麻素靶点的冗余性以及在病理条件下 CB₁和 CB₂受体的双重作用。
