Microglial Cannabinoid CB2 Receptors in Pain Modulation

Xu, Kangtai1,2; Wu, Yifei1; Tian, Zhuangzhuang1; Xu, Yuanfan1; Wu, Chaoran2; Wang, Zilong1

2023-02-01

10.3390/ijms24032348

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES   Impact Factor & Quartile

1422-0067

Pain, especially chronic pain, can strongly affect patients' quality of life. Cannabinoids ponhave been reported to produce potent analgesic effects in different preclinical pain models, where they primarily function as agonists of G(i/o) protein-coupled cannabinoid CB1 and CB2 receptors. The CB1 receptors are abundantly expressed in both the peripheral and central nervous systems. The central activation of CB1 receptors is strongly associated with psychotropic adverse effects, thus largely limiting its therapeutic potential. However, the CB2 receptors are promising targets for pain treatment without psychotropic adverse effects, as they are primarily expressed in immune cells. Additionally, as the resident immune cells in the central nervous system, microglia are increasingly recognized as critical players in chronic pain. Accumulating evidence has demonstrated that the expression of CB2 receptors is significantly increased in activated microglia in the spinal cord, which exerts protective consequences within the surrounding neural circuitry by regulating the activity and function of microglia. In this review, we focused on recent advances in understanding the role of microglial CB2 receptors in spinal nociceptive circuitry, highlighting the mechanism of CB2 receptors in modulating microglia function and its implications for CB2 receptor- selective agonist-mediated analgesia.

the endocannabinoid system CB2 receptors microglia pathological pain

SCI

English

First ; Corresponding

Biochemistry & Molecular Biology ; Chemistry

Biochemistry & Molecular Biology ; Chemistry, Multidisciplinary

WOS:000930286700001

MDPI

CHEMISTRY

Web of Science

1.Southern Univ Sci & Technol, Key Univ Lab Metab & Hlth Guangdong, SUSTech Ctr Pain Med, Sch Med,Dept Med Neurosci, Shenzhen 518055, Peoples R China
2.Southern Univ Sci & Technol, Shenzhen Peoples Hosp, Affiliated Hosp 1, Dept Anesthesiol, Shenzhen 518055, Peoples R China

Xu, Kangtai,Wu, Yifei,Tian, Zhuangzhuang,et al. Microglial Cannabinoid CB2 Receptors in Pain Modulation[J]. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES,2023,24(3).

Xu, Kangtai,Wu, Yifei,Tian, Zhuangzhuang,Xu, Yuanfan,Wu, Chaoran,&Wang, Zilong.(2023).Microglial Cannabinoid CB2 Receptors in Pain Modulation.INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES,24(3).

Xu, Kangtai,et al."Microglial Cannabinoid CB2 Receptors in Pain Modulation".INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES 24.3(2023).