title: Cannabinoid-induced autophagy: Protective or death role?
abstract: Autophagy, the "self-digestion" mechanism of the cells, is an evolutionary conserved catabolic process that targets portions of cytoplasm, damaged organelles and proteins for lysosomal degradation, which plays a crucial role in development and disease. Cannabinoids are active compounds of Cannabis sativa and the most prevalent psychoactive substance is Δ(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Cannabinoid compounds can be divided in three types: the plant-derived natural products (phytocannabinoids), the cannabinoids produced endogenously (endocannabinoids) and the synthesized compounds (synthetic cannabinoids). Various studies reported a cannabinoid-induced autophagy mechanism in cancer and non-cancer cells. In this review we focus on the recent advances in the cannabinoid-induced autophagy and highlight the molecular mechanisms involved in these processes.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Biologia, Universidade de Aveiro, Portugal; UCIBIO, REQUIMTE, Laboratório de Bioquímica, Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade do Porto, Portugal.
authors.forename: Lia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Costa
authors.affiliation: UCIBIO, REQUIMTE, Laboratório de Bioquímica, Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade do Porto, Portugal.
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Amaral
authors.affiliation: UCIBIO, REQUIMTE, Laboratório de Bioquímica, Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade do Porto, Portugal.
authors.forename: Natércia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Teixeira
authors.affiliation: UCIBIO, REQUIMTE, Laboratório de Bioquímica, Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade do Porto, Portugal.
authors.forename: Georgina
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Correia-da-Silva
authors.affiliation: UCIBIO, REQUIMTE, Laboratório de Bioquímica, Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade do Porto, Portugal. Electronic address: brunofonseca@ff.up.pt.
authors.forename: Bruno M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Fonseca
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D000071182:Autophagosomes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D001343:Autophagy / Q000187:drug effects*; D002186:Cannabinoids / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002188:Cannabis / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D008954:Models, Biological; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D043882:Receptors, Cannabinoid / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D002186:Cannabinoids; D043882:Receptors, Cannabinoid
keywords: Apoptosis; Autophagy; Cancer; Cannabinoids