Cannabinoid may protect brain after injury
Arachidonoyl glycerol (2-AG), an endogenous cannabinoid,
might protect the brain after head injury, a new study shows.
Dr David Panikashvill, Hebrew University, Jerusalem,
and colleagues found that the level of endogenous 2-AG was significantly
elevated in mice that had had traumatic brain injury. Administering synthetic
2-AG to mice with head injury reduced brain oedema and resulted in better
clinical recovery.
The researchers also found that the beneficial effects
of synthetic 2-AG were dose-dependently attenuated by SR-141761A, an antagonist
of the cannabinoid receptor CB1, found mainly in the brain
(Nature 2001;
413:527).
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