Endogenous cannabinoids mediate retrograde signalling at hippocampal synapses

Marijuana affects brain function primarily by activating the G-protein-coupled cannabinoid receptor-1 (CB1), which is expressed throughout the brain at high levels. Two endogenous lipids, anandamide and 2-arachidonylglycerol (2-AG), have been identified as CB1 ligands. Depolarized hippocampal neurons rapidly release both anandamide and 2-AG in a Ca2+-dependent manner. In the hippocampus, CB1 is expressed mainly by GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid)-mediated inhibitory interneurons, where CB1 clusters on the axon terminal. A synthetic CB1 agonist depresses GABA release from hippocampal slices. These findings indicate that the function of endogenous cannabinoids released by depolarized hippocampal neurons might be to downregulate GABA release. Here we show that the transient suppression of GABA-mediated transmission that follows depolarization of hippocampal pyramidal neurons is mediated by retrograde signalling through release of endogenous cannabinoids. Signalling by the endocannabinoid system thus represents a mechanism by which neurons can communicate backwards across synapses to modulate their inputs.     

Vanilloid receptors on sensory nerves mediate the vasodilator action of anandamide.

The endogenous cannabinoid receptor agonist anandamide is a powerful vasodilator of isolated vascular preparations, but its mechanism of action is unclear. Here we show that the vasodilator response to anandamide in isolated arteries is capsaicin-sensitive and accompanied by release of calcitonin-gene-related peptide (CGRP). The selective CGRP-receptor antagonist 8-37 CGRP, but not the cannabinoid CB1 receptor blocker SR141716A, inhibited the vasodilator effect of anandamide. Other endogenous (2-arachidonylglycerol, palmitylethanolamide) and synthetic (HU 210, WIN 55,212-2, CP 55,940) CB1 and CB2 receptor agonists could not mimic the action of anandamide. The selective 'vanilloid receptor' antagonist capsazepine inhibited anandamide-induced vasodilation and release of CGRP. In patch-clamp experiments on cells expressing the cloned vanilloid receptor (VR1), anandamide induced a capsazepine-sensitive current in whole cells and isolated membrane patches. Our results indicate that anandamide induces vasodilation by activating vanilloid receptors on perivascular sensory nerves and causing release of CGRP. The vanilloid receptor may thus be another molecular target for endogenous anandamide, besides cannabinoid receptors, in the nervous and cardiovascular systems.     

An endogenous cannabinoid (2-AG) is neuroprotective after brain injury

Traumatic brain injury triggers the accumulation of harmful mediators that may lead to secondary damage. Protective mechanisms to attenuate damage are also set in motion. 2-Arachidonoyl glycerol (2-AG) is an endogenous cannabinoid, identified both in the periphery and in the brain, but its physiological roles have been only partially clarified. Here we show that, after injury to the mouse brain, 2-AG may have a neuroprotective role in which the cannabinoid system is involved. After closed head injury (CHI) in mice, the level of endogenous 2-AG was significantly elevated. We administered synthetic 2-AG to mice after CHI and found significant reduction of brain oedema, better clinical recovery, reduced infarct volume and reduced hippocampal cell death compared with controls. When 2-AG was administered together with additional inactive 2-acyl-glycerols that are normally present in the brain, functional recovery was significantly enhanced. The beneficial effect of 2-AG was dose-dependently attenuated by SR-141761A, an antagonist of the CB1 cannabinoid receptor.     

Bidirectional control of airway responsiveness by endogenous cannabinoids

Smoking marijuana or administration of its main active constituent, delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol (delta9-THC), may exert potent dilating effects on human airways. But the physiological significance of this observation and its potential therapeutic value are obscured by the fact that some asthmatic patients respond to these compounds with a paradoxical bronchospasm. The mechanisms underlying these contrasting responses remain unresolved. Here we show that the endogenous cannabinoid anandamide exerts dual effects on bronchial responsiveness in rodents: it strongly inhibits bronchospasm and cough evoked by the chemical irritant, capsaicin, but causes bronchospasm when the constricting tone exerted by the vagus nerve is removed. Both effects are mediated through peripheral CB1 cannabinoid receptors found on axon terminals of airway nerves. Biochemical analyses indicate that anandamide is synthesized in lung tissue on calcium-ion stimulation, suggesting that locally generated anandamide participates in the intrinsic control of airway responsiveness. In support of this conclusion, the CB1 antagonist SR141716A enhances capsaicin-evoked bronchospasm and cough. Our results may account for the contrasting bronchial actions of cannabis-like drugs in humans, and provide a framework for the development of more selective cannabinoid-based agents for the treatment of respiratory pathologies.     

An anorexic lipid mediator regulated by feeding.

Oleylethanolamide (OEA) is a natural analogue of the endogenous cannabinoid anandamide. Like anandamide, OEA is produced in cells in a stimulus-dependent manner and is rapidly eliminated by enzymatic hydrolysis, suggesting a function in cellular signalling. However, OEA does not activate cannabinoid receptors and its biological functions are still unknown. Here we show that, in rats, food deprivation markedly reduces OEA biosynthesis in the small intestine. Administration of OEA causes a potent and persistent decrease in food intake and gain in body mass. This anorexic effect is behaviourally selective and is associated with the discrete activation of brain regions (the paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus and the nucleus of the solitary tract) involved in the control of satiety. OEA does not affect food intake when injected into the brain ventricles, and its anorexic actions are prevented when peripheral sensory fibres are removed by treatment with capsaicin. These results indicate that OEA is a lipid mediator involved in the peripheral regulation of feeding.     

Leptin-regulated endocannabinoids are involved in maintaining food intake

Leptin is the primary signal through which the hypothalamus senses nutritional state and modulates food intake and energy balance. Leptin reduces food intake by upregulating anorexigenic (appetite-reducing) neuropeptides, such as alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone, and downregulating orexigenic (appetite-stimulating) factors, primarily neuropeptide Y. Genetic defects in anorexigenic signalling, such as mutations in the melanocortin-4 (ref. 5) or leptin receptors, cause obesity. However, alternative orexigenic pathways maintain food intake in mice deficient in neuropeptide Y. CB1 cannabinoid receptors and the endocannabinoids anandamide and 2-arachidonoyl glycerol are present in the hypothalamus, and marijuana and anandamide stimulate food intake. Here we show that following temporary food restriction, CB1 receptor knockout mice eat less than their wild-type littermates, and the CB1 antagonist SR141716A reduces food intake in wild-type but not knockout mice. Furthermore, defective leptin signalling is associated with elevated hypothalamic, but not cerebellar, levels of endocannabinoids in obese db/db and ob/ob mice and Zucker rats. Acute leptin treatment of normal rats and ob/ob mice reduces anandamide and 2-arachidonoyl glycerol in the hypothalamus. These findings indicate that endocannabinoids in the hypothalamus may tonically activate CB1 receptors to maintain food intake and form part of the neural circuitry regulated by leptin.     

The endogenous cannabinoid system controls extinction of aversive memories

Acquisition and storage of aversive memories is one of the basic principles of central nervous systems throughout the animal kingdom. In the absence of reinforcement, the resulting behavioural response will gradually diminish to be finally extinct. Despite the importance of extinction, its cellular mechanisms are largely unknown. The cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1) and endocannabinoids are present in memory-related brain areas and modulate memory. Here we show that the endogenous cannabinoid system has a central function in extinction of aversive memories. CB1-deficient mice showed strongly impaired short-term and long-term extinction in auditory fear-conditioning tests, with unaffected memory acquisition and consolidation. Treatment of wild-type mice with the CB1 antagonist SR141716A mimicked the phenotype of CB1-deficient mice, revealing that CB1 is required at the moment of memory extinction. Consistently, tone presentation during extinction trials resulted in elevated levels of endocannabinoids in the basolateral amygdala complex, a region known to control extinction of aversive memories. In the basolateral amygdala, endocannabinoids and CB1 were crucially involved in long-term depression of GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid)-mediated inhibitory currents. We propose that endocannabinoids facilitate extinction of aversive memories through their selective inhibitory effects on local inhibitory networks in the amygdala.     

Cannabinoids control spasticity and tremor in a multiple sclerosis model

Chronic relapsing experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (CREAE) is an autoimmune model of multiple sclerosis. Although both these diseases are typified by relapsing-remitting paralytic episodes, after CREAE induction by sensitization to myelin antigens Biozzi ABH mice also develop spasticity and tremor. These symptoms also occur during multiple sclerosis and are difficult to control. This has prompted some patients to find alternative medicines, and to perceive benefit from cannabis use. Although this benefit has been backed up by small clinical studies, mainly with non-quantifiable outcomes, the value of cannabis use in multiple sclerosis remains anecdotal. Here we show that cannabinoid (CB) receptor agonism using R(+)-WIN 55,212, delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol, methanandamide and JWH-133 (ref. 8) quantitatively ameliorated both tremor and spasticity in diseased mice. The exacerbation of these signs after antagonism of the CB1 and CB2 receptors, notably the CB1 receptor, using SR141716A and SR144528 (ref. 8) indicate that the endogenous cannabinoid system may be tonically active in the control of tremor and spasticity. This provides a rationale for patients' indications of the therapeutic potential of cannabis in the control of the symptoms of multiple sclerosis, and provides a means of evaluating more selective cannabinoids in the future.     

Genetic variation in human NPY expression affects stress response and emotion

Understanding inter-individual differences in stress response requires the explanation of genetic influences at multiple phenotypic levels, including complex behaviours and the metabolic responses of brain regions to emotional stimuli. Neuropeptide Y (NPY) is anxiolytic and its release is induced by stress. NPY is abundantly expressed in regions of the limbic system that are implicated in arousal and in the assignment of emotional valences to stimuli and memories. Here we show that haplotype-driven NPY expression predicts brain responses to emotional and stress challenges and also inversely correlates with trait anxiety. NPY haplotypes predicted levels of NPY messenger RNA in post-mortem brain and lymphoblasts, and levels of plasma NPY. Lower haplotype-driven NPY expression predicted higher emotion-induced activation of the amygdala, as well as diminished resiliency as assessed by pain/stress-induced activations of endogenous opioid neurotransmission in various brain regions. A single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP rs16147) located in the promoter region alters NPY expression in vitro and seems to account for more than half of the variation in expression in vivo. These convergent findings are consistent with the function of NPY as an anxiolytic peptide and help to explain inter-individual variation in resiliency to stress, a risk factor for many diseases.     

Inhibiting pain with pain— A basic neuromechanism of acupuncture analgesia

(i) The structure and function of the meridian (channel and collateral) described by ancient medical doctors may correspond to the blood circulation, nerve control and neurohumoral modulation of modern medicine. (ii) The needling, which can injure the tissue, is a noxious stimulation inducing pain. Acupuncture manipulation, such as lifting and thrusting, twisting and twirling, or electroacupuncture (EA) with the sufferable biggest intensity for patients should be a stronger pain stimulation. The needling sensation of soreness, numbness, distension and heaviness is a deep pain. (iii) There is an intrinsic analgesic system in brain, which centers around the periventricular and periaqueductal grey matter, contains endorphins as possible mediators, goes through the descending inhibition system in medulla oblon-gata, and acts on the gating mechanism in spinal cord. Itcould be producing analgesia while the system is activated. (iv) NRM might be a supraspinal center modulating pain, and the R-S neurons could form a basic circuit of negative feedback modulating pain. The discovery of excitatory-inhibitory reversible R-S neurons may give a neuro-physiological explanation for the double direction modulation of acupuncture at acupoint. (v) Non-noxious stimulation such as massage or stroking could excite type I and n afferent fibers, producing a weaker and transient analgesia through the spinal mechanism. When the acupoint is near the pain area, the afferent information from them could be converged on the same and neighboring spinal segments, the light acupuncture or low intensity of EA also has analgesic effects, showing acupoint specificity. But the acupoint specificity is not limited in a specially designated channel line, and it is closely related to the segment of innervation. (vi) While acupuncture manipulation of lifting and thrusting, twisting and twirling or a high intensity of EA is used, because the intensities of these stimulations exceed the threshold of afferent C fibers, they could fully excite Ⅲ(Aδ) and Ⅳ (C) afferent fibers, producing a strong and lasting analgesia, mainly through the supraspinal negative feedback mechanism modulating pain, it has curative effects. Therefore, the essence of acupuncture analgesia may chiefly be inhibiting pain with pain.     

丁丙诺啡对小鼠中脑导水管周围灰质Ca~(2)分布的影响:电镜及电子探针研究

用透射电镜及电子探针X-射线显微分析法研究了丁丙诺啡(Buprenorphine,BN)引起镇痛期间小鼠中脑导水管周围灰质区钙离子分布的改变.按照改进的Komnick方法,脑组织用含有2％焦锑酸钾的1％锇酸固定.实验结果表明,动物经腹腔注射BN(0.8mg/kg)30分钟后,在髓鞘、轴突、线粒体和细胞核中均可见到电子致密的沉淀颗粒,尤其在髓鞘的环状片层中形成大量的、密集的颗粒状沉淀.电子探针X-射线显微分析证实髓鞘中的沉淀颗粒含有元素钙,提示BN镇痛时髓鞘结合大量的钙离子,并且可能经过髓鞘的转运,钙离子进入轴突,贮存于线粒体中.本文讨论了在中枢神经系统中的钙离子转运的可能途径.     

茴香霉素对镇痛耐受及脑线粒体钙的影响

本文研究了蛋白质合成抑制茴香霉素对吗啡、丁丙诺啡和电针耐受发展的影响,监用铽离子探针测定被处理动物不同脑区的线粒体一Ca~2+水平。结果表明,茴香霉素能抑制吗啡和电针的耐受,但不能抑制丁丙诺啡耐受发展。痛阈与下丘脑和导水管周固灰质区线粒体-Ca~(2+)水平有良好的平行关系。本文还对Tb~(3+)与线粒体上色氨酸和酪氨酸的结合及影响荧光测定的因素进行了探讨。     

Long-lasting self-inhibition of neocortical interneurons mediated by endocannabinoids

Neocortical GABA-containing interneurons form complex functional networks responsible for feedforward and feedback inhibition and for the generation of cortical oscillations associated with several behavioural functions. We previously reported that fast-spiking (FS), but not low-threshold-spiking (LTS), neocortical interneurons from rats generate a fast and precise self-inhibition mediated by inhibitory autaptic transmission. Here we show that LTS cells possess a different form of self-inhibition. LTS, but not FS, interneurons undergo a prominent hyperpolarization mediated by an increased K+-channel conductance. This self-induced inhibition lasts for many minutes, is dependent on an increase in intracellular [Ca2+] and is blocked by the cannabinoid receptor antagonist AM251, indicating that it is mediated by the autocrine release of endogenous cannabinoids. Endocannabinoid-mediated slow self-inhibition represents a powerful and long-lasting mechanism that alters the intrinsic excitability of LTS neurons, which selectively target the major site of excitatory connections onto pyramidal neurons; that is, their dendrites. Thus, modulation of LTS networks after their sustained firing will lead to long-lasting changes of glutamate-mediated synaptic strength in pyramidal neurons, with consequences during normal and pathophysiological cortical network activities.     

自适应脑组织影像分割

提出一种支持二维及三维MR脑影像的脑组织分割方法。首先采用改进的C-V模型去除脑脊液对灰质分割准确性的干扰。其次通过采用结合C-V模型的带标记区域增长算法,去除脑壳并提取脑室。最后结合覆盖背景的方法提取灰质及白质,从而实现了脑组织的自动分割。对该算法进行了仿真与实验验证,结果表明,该算法具备良好的准确性、通用性与实用性。     

Coordination of agonist-induced Ca2+-signalling patterns by NAADP in pancreatic acinar cells

Many hormones and neurotransmitters evoke Ca2+ release from intracellular stores, often triggering agonist-specific signatures of intracellular Ca2+ concentration. Inositol trisphosphate (InsP3) and cyclic adenosine 5'-diphosphate-ribose (cADPR) are established Ca2+-mobilizing messengers that activate Ca2+ release through intracellular InsP3 and ryanodine receptors, respectively. However, in pancreatic acinar cells, neither messenger can explain the complex pattern of Ca2+ signals triggered by the secretory hormone cholecystokinin (CCK). We show here that the Ca2+-mobilizing molecule nicotinic acid adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NAADP), an endogenous metabolite of beta-NADP, triggers a Ca2+ response that varies from short-lasting Ca2+ spikes to a complex mixture of short-lasting (1-2s) and long-lasting (0.2-1 min) Ca2+ spikes. Cells were significantly more sensitive to NAADP than to either cADPR or InsP3, whereas higher concentrations of NAADP selectively inactivated CCK-evoked Ca2+ signals in pancreatic acinar cells, indicating that NAADP may function as an intracellular messenger in mammalian cells.     

Kappa- and delta-opioid receptor agonists differentially inhibit striatal dopamine and acetylcholine release

At least three different families of endogenous opioid peptides, the enkephalins, endorphins and dynorphins, are present in the mammalian central nervous system (CNS). Immunocytochemical studies have demonstrated their localization in neurones, which supports the view that these peptides may have a role as neurotransmitter or neuromodulators. However, the target cells and cellular processes acted upon by the opioid peptides are still largely unknown. One possible function of neuropeptides, including the opioid peptides, may be presynaptic modulation of neurotransmission in certain neuronal pathways, for example, by inhibition or promotion of neurotransmitter release from the nerve terminals. Here we report that dynorphin and some benzomorphans potently and selectively inhibit the release of (radiolabelled) dopamine from slices of rat corpus striatum, by activating kappa-opioid receptors. In contrast, [Leu5]enkephalin and [D-Ala2, D-Leu5]enkephalin selectively inhibit acetylcholine release by activating delta-opioid receptors.     

逆境绿豆幼苗呼吸、活性氧及乙烯产生关系研究

低温和渗透胁迫条件下绿豆(Phaseolus radiatus)黄化幼苗的总呼吸、细胞色素途径呼吸及抗氰呼吸速率明显上升并在到达高峰后下降,乙烯的释放速率也呈现类似的变化.实验结果表明,低温和渗透胁迫下乙烯的产生对呼吸作用有一定程度的依赖性,并且与逆境诱导的超氧阴离子自由基的产生密切相关,低温和渗透胁迫诱导的超氧阴离子自由基对绿豆黄化幼苗的呼吸速率没有明显的影响,却与呼吸商的变化密切相关,表明超氧阴离子自由基不是通过改变呼吸速率,而是通过改变呼吸作用的底物类型或底物降解途径从而影响乙烯的产生.     

纳米TiO_2固载脂肪酶及其固载界面表征

以3种不同形貌的纳米TiO2为载体固定化脂肪酶,研究载体形貌、酶添加量、pH值、温度和时间对固载酶活性的影响.研究结果表明,纳米线形貌TiO2固定化效果最好,最优固定化条件为加酶量0.25g/25mL溶液、pH 7.0、固载温度40℃、固载时间6.3h.利用SEM、XRD、FT-IR等对固载酶及其界面进行表征,SEM和XRD结果表明,脂肪酶吸附于纳米线TiO2载体表面,且未改变纳米线TiO2的晶型结构;FT-IR表征表明固载酶含有脂肪酶的特征吸收峰;比表面积分析显示固定化后样品的BET明显减小,表明脂肪酶在纳米线TiO2表面进行物理型吸附.     

脂肪酶干燥方法对环十五内酯合成的影响

研究了冷冻干燥法,真空干燥法,N2吹干法3种干燥方法对Candida.sp.GXU08所产脂肪酶活力的影响,以3种方法制得的酶为催化剂进行了15-羟基十五烷酸甲酯环化反应.结果表明,冷冻干燥的酶粉酶活保留率最高,有78.74%,转化率为1.367%;真空干燥酶活保留率有75%,转化率为1.158%;N2吹干法的酶活保留率最低为63.9%,转化率仅有0.405%.