title: Early phytocannabinoid chemistry to endocannabinoids and beyond.
abstract: Isolation and structure elucidation of most of the major cannabinoid constituents--including Δ(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ(9)-THC), which is the principal psychoactive molecule in Cannabis sativa--was achieved in the 1960s and 1970s. It was followed by the identification of two cannabinoid receptors in the 1980s and the early 1990s and by the identification of the endocannabinoids shortly thereafter. There have since been considerable advances in our understanding of the endocannabinoid system and its function in the brain, which reveal potential therapeutic targets for a wide range of brain disorders.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Drug Research, Medical Faculty, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, 91120, Israel.
authors.forename: Raphael
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mechoulam
authors.affiliation: Institute for Drug Research, Medical Faculty, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, 91120, Israel.
authors.forename: Lumír O
authors.initials: LO
authors.lastname: Hanuš
authors.affiliation: Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB25 2ZD, Scotland, UK.
authors.forename: Roger
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pertwee
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Wake Forest University Health Sciences, One Medical Center Blvd, Winston-Salem, North Carolina 27157, USA.
authors.forename: Allyn C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Howlett
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002490:Central Nervous System / Q000187:drug effects; D063388:Endocannabinoids / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000266:history* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology; D049672:History, 19th Century; D049673:History, 20th Century; D049674:History, 21st Century; D006801:Humans; D009480:Neuropharmacology; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000266:history / Q000494:pharmacology; D043884:Receptor, Cannabinoid, CB1 / Q000266:history; D043885:Receptor, Cannabinoid, CB2 / Q000266:history
chemical_list: D063388:Endocannabinoids; D010936:Plant Extracts; D043884:Receptor, Cannabinoid, CB1; D043885:Receptor, Cannabinoid, CB2