Cannabinoid receptors and their endogenous agonist, anandamide

Cannabinoids are a class of compound found in marijuana which have been known for their therapeutic and psychoactive properties for at least 4000 years. Isolation of the active principle in marijuana, delta9-THC, provided the lead structure in the development of highly potent congeners which were used to probe for the mechanism of marijuana action. Cannabinoids were shown to bind to selective binding sites in brain tissue thereby regulating second messenger formation. Such studies led to the cloning of three cannabinoid receptor subtypes, CB1, CB2, and CB1A all of which belong to the superfamily of G protein-coupled plasma membrane receptors. Analogous to the discovery of endogenous opiates, isolation of cannabinoid receptors provided the appropriate tool to isolate an endogenous cannabimimetic eicosanoid, anandamide, from porcine brain. Recent studies indicate that anandamide is a member of a family of fatty acid ethanolamides that may represent a novel class of lipid neurotransmitters. This review discusses recent progress in cannabinoid research with a focus on the receptors for delta9-THC, their coupling to second messenger responses, and the endogenous lipid cannabimimetic, anandamide.