Pharmacology of Endocannabinoids and Their Receptors

The identification of cannabinoid (CB) receptors has contributed to the state-of-the-art on the endocannabinoid system and its elements. Endocannabinoids (eCBs) are the endogenous agonists, derived from the conjugation of arachidonic acid with either ethanolamine (i.e. anandamide) or glycerol (i.e. 2-arachidonoylglycerol) acting as a lipid signaling mediator via two types of cannabinoid receptors (i.e. CB1 and CB2). Introduction of selective CB antagonists, inhibitors of eCB transport and metabolism, cannabinoid receptor-deficient mice and highlights on amidohydrolase have greatly facilitated the subsequent investigation of the eCB system. Moreover, modulation of the eCBsystem holds a promising therapeutic potential in the management of amyriad of pathophysiological conditions such as anxiety ormood disorders, neuropathic pain, multiple sclerosis, neurodegenerative diseases, osteoporosis, obesity and cancer among others. This chapter is comprehensively focused on the signal transduction and metabolic pathways, physiological roles, pharmacology and therapeutic potential of the endocannabinoids, with particular emphasis on cannabinoid addiction.