Chlorpyrifos (CPF) is an organophosphate pesticide that can inhibit endocannabinoid (eCB) metabolizing enzymes in animal models at levels that do not significantly alter acetylcholinesterase (AChE) in the central nervous system (CNS). Previous studies indicated that repeated low-level CPF exposure in developing rats increased the levels of eCBs in the brain. Because eCBs play a role in immune homeostasis through their engagement with cannabinoid receptors, we investigated the role of cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1, encoded by the Cnr1 gene) on the CPF-mediated effects in the spleen and lung of neonatal and adult female mice.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFACS Pharmacol Transl Sci
October 2022
Carboxylesterases are members of the serine hydrolase superfamily and metabolize drugs, pesticides, and lipids. Previous research showed that inhibition of carboxylesterase 1 (CES1) in human macrophages altered the immunomodulatory effects of lipid mediators called prostaglandin glyceryl esters, which are produced by cyclooxygenase-catalyzed oxygenation of the endocannabinoid 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG). Ces1d - the mouse ortholog of human CES1 - is the most abundant Ces isoform in murine lung tissues and alveolar macrophages and a major target of organophosphate poisons.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFChlorpyrifos (CPF) is an organophosphate (OP) pesticide that causes acute toxicity by inhibiting acetylcholinesterase (AChE) in the nervous system. However, endocannabinoid (eCB) metabolizing enzymes in brain of neonatal rats are more sensitive than AChE to inhibition by CPF, leading to increased levels of eCBs. Because eCBs are immunomodulatory molecules, we investigated the association between eCB metabolism, lipid mediators, and immune function in adult and neonatal mice exposed to CPF.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHuman monocytic cells in blood have important roles in host defense and express the enzyme carboxylesterase 1 (CES1). This metabolic serine hydrolase plays a critical role in the metabolism of many molecules, including lipid mediators called prostaglandin glyceryl esters (PG-Gs), which are formed during cyclooxygenase-mediated oxygenation of the endocannabinoid 2-arachidonoylglycerol. Some PG-Gs have been shown to exhibit anti-inflammatory effects; however, they are unstable compounds, and their hydrolytic breakdown generates pro-inflammatory prostaglandins.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe use of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), also known as electronic-cigarettes (e-cigs), has raised serious public health concerns, especially in light of the 2019 outbreak of e-cig or vaping product use-associated acute lung injury (EVALI). While these cases have mostly been linked to ENDS that contain vitamin E acetate, there is limited research that has focused on the chronic pulmonary effects of the delivery vehicles (i.e.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEndocannabinoid-metabolizing enzymes are downregulated in response to lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammation in mice, which may serve as a negative feedback mechanism to increase endocannabinoid levels and reduce inflammation. Increased plasma levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-6 (IL-6) and decreased fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) activity in peripheral lymphocytes from individuals diagnosed with Huntington's disease (HD) suggests that a similar negative feedback system between inflammation and the endocannabinoid system operates in humans. We investigated whether CpG- (unmethylated bacterial DNA) and LPS-induced IL-6 levels in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from non-HD and HD individuals modulated the activities of endocannabinoid hydrolases monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL) and carboxylesterase (CES).
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