Scientus Pharma Inc., Whitby, Ontario L1N 5R7, Canada.
J Nat Prod. 2021 Jan 22;84(1):142-160. doi: 10.1021/acs.jnatprod.0c00965. Epub 2020 Dec 23.
Plant-based therapies date back centuries. is one such plant that was used medicinally up until the early part of the 20th century. Although rich in diverse and interesting phytochemicals, cannabis was largely ignored by the modern scientific community due to its designation as a schedule 1 narcotic and restrictions on access for research purposes. There was renewed interest in the early 1990s when the endocannabinoid system (ECS) was discovered, a complex network of signaling pathways responsible for physiological homeostasis. Two key components of the ECS, cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1) and cannabinoid receptor 2 (CB2), were identified as the molecular targets of the phytocannabinoid Δ-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ-THC). Restrictions on access to cannabis have eased worldwide, leading to a resurgence in interest in the therapeutic potential of cannabis. Much of the focus has been on the two major constituents, Δ-THC and cannabidiol (CBD). Cannabis contains over 140 phytocannabinoids, although only a handful have been tested for pharmacological activity. Many of these minor cannabinoids potently modulate receptors, ionotropic channels, and enzymes associated with the ECS and show therapeutic potential individually or synergistically with other phytocannabinoids. The following review will focus on the pharmacological developments of the next generation of phytocannabinoid therapeutics.
植物疗法可以追溯到几个世纪以前。大麻就是这样一种植物，它在 20 世纪初之前一直被用于药用。尽管大麻富含各种有趣的植物化学物质，但由于它被列为附表 1 类麻醉品，而且出于研究目的对其获取加以限制，因此在很大程度上被现代科学界所忽视。这种情况在 20 世纪 90 年代初发生了变化，当时人们发现了内源性大麻素系统 (ECS)，这是一个负责生理内稳态的复杂信号通路网络。ECS 的两个关键组成部分，大麻素受体 1 (CB1) 和大麻素受体 2 (CB2)，被确定为植物大麻素 Δ-四氢大麻酚 (Δ-THC) 的分子靶标。全球范围内对大麻的获取限制已经放宽，这导致人们对大麻的治疗潜力重新产生了兴趣。研究的重点主要集中在两种主要成分上，即 Δ-THC 和大麻二酚 (CBD)。大麻中含有超过 140 种植物大麻素，尽管只有少数几种被测试过具有药理活性。这些次要大麻素中的许多都能有效地调节与 ECS 相关的受体、离子通道和酶，并且具有治疗潜力，无论是单独使用还是与其他植物大麻素协同使用。以下综述将重点介绍新一代植物大麻素治疗药物的药理学进展。
