Cannabinoids are a group of compounds present in Cannabis plant (Cannabis sativa L.). They mediate their physiological and behavioral effects by activating specific cannabinoid receptors. With the recent discovery of the cannabinoid receptors (CB1 and CB2) and the endocannabinoid system, research in this field has expanded exponentially. Cannabinoids have been shown to act as potent immunosuppressive and anti-inflammatory agents and have been shown to mediate beneficial effects in a wide range of immune-mediated diseases such as multiple sclerosis, diabetes, septic shock, rheumatoid arthritis, and allergic asthma. Cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1) is mainly expressed on the cells of the central nervous system as well as in the periphery. In contrast, cannabinoid receptor 2 (CB2) is predominantly expressed on immune cells. The precise mechanisms through which cannabinoids mediate immunosuppression is only now beginning to be understood and can be broadly categorized into four pathways: apoptosis, inhibition of proliferation, suppression of cytokine and chemokine production and induction of T regulatory cells (T regs). Studies from our laboratory have focused on mechanisms of apoptosis induction by natural and synthetic cannabinoids through activation of CB2 receptors. In this review, we will focus on apoptotic mechanisms of immunosuppression mediated by cannabinoids on different immune cell populations and discuss how activation of CB2 provides a novel therapeutic modality against inflammatory and autoimmune diseases as well as malignancies of the immune system, without exerting the untoward psychotropic effects.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.imbio.2009.04.001 | DOI Listing |
J Clin Oncol
January 2025
Center for Cell Engineering, Sloan Kettering Institute, New York, NY.
Purpose: We designed a CD19-targeted chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) comprising a calibrated signaling module, termed 1XX, that differs from that of conventional CD28/CD3ζ and 4-1BB/CD3ζ CARs. Preclinical data demonstrated that 1XX CARs generated potent effector function without undermining T-cell persistence. We hypothesized that 1XX CAR T cells may be effective at low doses and elicit minimal toxicities.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Leukoc Biol
January 2025
Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA.
Regulated sequential exocytosis of neutrophil granules is essential in orchestrating the innate immune response, while uncontrolled secretion causes inflammation. We developed and characterized Nexinhib20, a small-molecule inhibitor that targets azurophilic granule exocytosis in neutrophils by blocking the interaction between the small GTPase Rab27a and its effector JFC1. Its therapeutic potential has been demonstrated in several pre-clinical models of inflammatory disease.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFProc Natl Acad Sci U S A
February 2025
State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou 510050, China.
Chromobox 2 (CBX2), a crucial component of the polycomb repressive complex (PRC), has been implicated in the development of various human cancers. However, its role in the regulation of tumor immunogenicity and immune evasion remains inadequately understood. In this study, we found that ablation of CBX2 led to tumor growth inhibition, activation of the tumor immune microenvironment, and enhanced therapeutic efficacy of anti-PD1 or adoptive T cell therapies by using murine syngeneic tumor models.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFProc Natl Acad Sci U S A
February 2025
Department of Biological Sciences, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI 48202.
The mammalian Hippo kinases, MST1 and MST2, regulate organ development and suppress tumor formation by balancing cell proliferation and death. In macrophages, inflammasomes detect molecular patterns from invading pathogens or damaged host cells and trigger programmed cell death. In addition to lytic pyroptosis, the signatures associated with apoptosis are induced by inflammasome activation, but how the inflammasomes coordinate different cell death processes remains unclear.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCirc Res
January 2025
Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine (J.B.H., J.D.B., A.C.D.), Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN.
Cardiovascular and cardiometabolic diseases are leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide, driven in part by chronic inflammation. Emerging research suggests that the bone marrow microenvironment, or marrow niche, plays a critical role in both immune system regulation and disease progression. The bone marrow niche is essential for maintaining hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) and orchestrating hematopoiesis.
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