Abstract
We have investigated whether there are cannabinoid CB2 receptors that can mediate cannabinoid-induced inhibition of electrically evoked contractions in the mouse vas deferens or guinea-pig myenteric plexus-longitudinal muscle preparation. Our results showed that mouse vas deferens and guinea-pig whole gut contain cannabinoid CB1 and CB2-like mRNA whereas the myenteric plexus preparation seemed to contain only cannabinoid CB1 mRNA. JWH-015 (1-propyl-2-methyl-3-(1-naphthoyl)indole and JWH-051 (1-deoxy-11-hydroxy-Delta(8)-tetrahydrocannabinol-dimethylheptyl), which have higher affinities for CB2 than CB1 cannabinoid binding sites, inhibited electrically evoked contractions of both tissues in a concentration related manner. This inhibition was attenuated by 31.62 nM of the cannabinoid CB1 receptor selective antagonist SR141716A [N-(piperidin-1-yl)-5-(4-chlorophenyl)-1-(2,4-dichlorophenyl)-4-methyl-1H-pyrazole-3-carboxamide hydrochloride] only in the myenteric plexus preparation. Vasa deferentia from Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol-pretreated mice (20 mg/kg i.p. once daily for two days) showed reduced sensitivity to JWH-015 and JWH-051. The results suggest that these compounds exert their inhibitory effects through cannabinoid CB1 receptors in the myenteric plexus preparation, but mainly through CB2-like cannabinoid receptors in the vas deferens. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 53-61 |
Number of pages | 9 |
Journal | European Journal of Pharmacology |
Volume | 339 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 19 Nov 1997 |
Keywords
- cannabinoids
- Cannabinoid CB1 receptors
- Cannabinoid CB2 receptors
- SR141716A
- vas deferens, mouse
- myenteric plexus-longitudinal muscle preparation
- guinea-pig small intestine
- MOUSE VAS-DEFERENS
- PIG SMALL-INTESTINE
- SYMPATHETIC-NERVES
- GUINEA-PIG
- ADENOSINE 5'-TRIPHOSPHATE
- NORADRENALINE
- ANTAGONIST
- BINDING
- CB2
- PHARMACOLOGY
- Cannabinoids
- Vas deferens, mouse
- Myenteric plexus-longitudinal muscle preparation