The endocannabinoid system: a new molecular target for the treatment of tobacco addiction.
Tobacco addiction is one of the leading preventable causes of mortality in the world and nicotine appears to be the main critical psychoactive component in establishing and maintaining tobacco dependence. Several lines of evidence suggest that the rewarding effects of nicotine, which underlie its abuse potential, can be modulated by manipulating the endocannabinoid system. For example, pharmacological blockade or genetic deletion of cannabinoid CB(1) receptors reduces or eliminates many behavioral and neurochemical effects of nicotine that are related to its addictive potential. This review will focus on the recently published literature about the role of the endocannabinoid system in nicotine addiction and on the endocannabinoid system as a novel molecular target for the discovery of medications for tobacco dependence.
Scherma
Maria
M
Psychobiology Section, Medications Discovery Research Branch, Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Fadda
Paola
P
Le Foll
Bernard
B
Forget
Benoit
B
Fratta
Walter
W
Goldberg
Steven R
SR
Tanda
Gianluigi
G
D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D063385:Cannabinoid Receptor Modulators / Q000819:agonists* / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000378:metabolism; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D063388:Endocannabinoids; D006801:Humans; D008032:Limbic System / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D009480:Neuropharmacology / Q000379:methods / Q000639:trends; D009538:Nicotine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D043884:Receptor, Cannabinoid, CB1 / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D011978:Receptors, Nicotinic / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D014029:Tobacco Use Disorder / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology
D063385:Cannabinoid Receptor Modulators; D063388:Endocannabinoids; D043884:Receptor, Cannabinoid, CB1; D011978:Receptors, Nicotinic; D009538:Nicotine