Phytocannabinoids: Useful Drugs for the Treatment of Obesity? Special Focus on Cannabidiol
Department of Physiology, Medical University of Bialystok, Bialystok, Poland
Abstract
Currently, an increasing number of diseases related to insulin resistance and obesity is an alarming problem worldwide. It is well-known that the above states can lead to the development of type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular diseases. An excessive amount of triacylglycerols (TAGs) in a diet also evokes adipocyte hyperplasia and subsequent accumulation of lipids in peripheral organs (liver, cardiac muscle). Therefore, new therapeutic methods are constantly sought for the prevention, treatment and alleviation of symptoms of the above mentioned diseases. Currently, much attention is paid to Cannabis derivatives—phytocannabinoids, which interact with the endocannabinoid system (ECS) constituents. Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) are the most abundant compounds of Cannabis plants and their therapeutic application has been suggested. CBD is considered as a potential therapeutic agent due to its anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, anti-tumor, neuroprotective, and potential anti-obesity properties. Therefore, in this review, we especially highlight pharmacological properties of CBD as well as its impact on obesity in different tissues.
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Keywords: cannabidiol, diabetes, drugs, glucose metabolism, obesity, phytocannabinoids
Article notes
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Received 2019 Dec 4; Accepted 2020 Feb 21; Collection date 2020.
Introduction
A well-known ancient plant Cannabis sativa has been a subject of scientific interest for over 50 years (1). Moreover, it has been used for recreational and medical purposes for thousands of years. The plant comprises about 100 phytocannabinoids, which are C21 terpenophenolic constituents (2). Nowadays, the most-studied phytocannabinoids are: Δ9- tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC), Δ9-tetrahydrocannabivarin (Δ9-THCV), cannabinol (CBN), cannabidiol (CBD), cannabidivarin (CBDV), cannabigerol (CBG), and cannabichromene (CBC) (1). So far, many studies have shown therapeutic properties of the above mentioned Cannabis compounds. Therefore, the aim of the current review is to focus on the emerging potential of CBD and other phytocannabinoids, which act as novel therapeutic agents in obesity treatment.
Overactivation of the ECS in Obesity
Obesity and coexisting disorders such as insulin resistance, hypertension, and hypertriglyceridemia lead to the development of metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes (75). Whenever, the excessive fatty acids (FAs) consumption takes place, simultaneously we can observe an increased differentiation of pre-adipocytes to mature adipocytes with subsequent stimulation of their growth as well (76, 77). Over time, at a later stage of obesity development, adipocytes are overloaded, which results in the accumulation of lipids in other tissues such as liver, skeletal, and cardiac muscles (60, 78). Paralell excessive fat accumulation can be observed in the liver or cardiac muscle, which contributes to the development of liver steatosis and cardiomyopathy, respectively (78). Many scientists are looking for new therapeutic strategies, including expanded ECS, which can be a useful tool in preventing and treating the above mentioned diseases. Therefore, the components of eCBome are emerging as potent therapeutic targets due to their well-established role in the regulation of food consumption and energy balance as well as lipid and glucose metabolism (79, 80). Literature data indicated, that ECS is upregulated during obesity and associated diseases (81–84). It is well-confirmed that the level of endogenous cannabinoids in the above mentioned conditions is increased, i.e., in CNS, adipose tissue, pancreas, skeletal muscle, kidney, liver, and blood of obese rodents and humans (76, 84–87). The cause of such ECS overactivation may be due to enhanced synthesis of ECs or their reduced degradation as well as overexpression of the cannabinoid receptors (88, 89). Various studies have shown upregulated levels of 2-AG in both different organs and serum during obesity and hyperglycemia, which was correlated with body fat content, visceral fat mass and fasting plasma triacylglyceride and insulin concentrations (84, 86, 87, 90). On the other hand, the reverse situation was described for ECs in the liver of DIO mice, where the hepatic levels of AEA were increased in animals fed HFD, while no significant difference in 2-AG liver levels was observed (91). Accordingly, Kimberly et al. revealed substantial association between AEA level and body mass index (BMI) value, which was an argument for making it a biomarker of NASH (non-alcoholic steatohepatitis) (92). In contrast with the above results, other studies have shown that patients with NAFLD (non-alcoholic fatty liver disease) had significantly increased levels of 2-AG without any change in AEA levels (93). Hence, it has been proposed to attenuate overactivation of ECS as a new approach for the treatment of obesity and its coexisting disorders. Such mechanism was used by researchers to create an anti-obesity drug (rimonabant; SR141716A), which was the first selective antagonist of CB1 receptors expressed in the brain and different peripheral organs/tissues controlling energetic homeostasis of the body (liver, muscle, adipose tissue, etc.) (94–96). Several studies have confirmed the beneficial effect of rimonabant on cardiometabolic risk markers, body weight as well as lipid and glucose parameters (97–99). However, rimonabant (Acomplia® Sanofi-Aventis) treatment turned out to be harmful so that it was forbidden in 2009 due to its adverse psychotropic side effects (100). This contributed to the invention of peripherally restricted CB1 receptor antagonists with limited brain penetration. Many studies investigating the effects of these antagonists (inverse agonists), such as AM6545, JD5037, have shown their positive effects against obesity in preclinical studies (101–103). For instance, AM6545 (10 mg/kg per day) treatment in DIO and genetically obese (ob/ob) mice attenuated obesity-related glucose intolerance, insulin resistance, dyslipidemia and reversed hepatic steatosis (104). Accordingly, Tam et al. demonstrated the hypophagic and weight-reducing effects of JD5037 (3 mg/kg per day, 7 days) in DIO mice but not in ob/ob and db/db mice, indicating leptin-dependent action (102). Importantly, JD5037 treatment resulted in the attenuation of hyperglycemia, hyperinsulinemia, insulin resistance, and reduction of hepatic triacylglycerols in all the above mentioned strains (102). We can conclude that peripherally restricted CB1 receptor antagonists have great therapeutic potential in the treatment of obesity.
Conclusions
Overweight, insulin resistance and obesity emerged as leading health concerns all over the world. The above mentioned disturbances are characterized by excessive or abnormal fat accumulation, and are major risk factors for a number of chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and cancer. Currently, the non-psychotropic component of Cannabis sativa—CBD is in the center of interest, due to its well-established anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, anti-convulsant, anti-psychotic and potential anti-obesity properties. Many studies indicated that CBD affects both lipid and glucose metabolism through the action on various receptors as well as several metabolites. From the existing data, we can conclude that CBD has the promising potential as a therapeutic agent and might be effective in alleviating the symptoms of insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome.
Footnotes
Footnote Group
References
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