Function of the Endocannabinoid System in Neurodegenerative Diseases and Cancers

Abstract

Neurodegenerative diseases are characterized by progressive degeneration and/or death of neuronal cells and results in a wide array of cognitive impairments and other serious neurological defects. The signaling pathways and definite cause underlying the development of neurodegenerative nerve diseases have not been well defined. There is evidence of mechanisms within the endocannabinoid system that may suggest important pathways involved the progression of neurodegenerative diseases as well as some cancers. The endocannabinoid system is an endogenous ubiquitous neuromodulatory system that plays a critical in the development of the central nervous system (CNS), synaptic plasticity, as well as other primary neuronal functions. The recent identification of various cannabinoid receptors and their endogenous lipid ligands has generated an interest and significant increase in research of the endocannabinoid system and its role in human health and diseases. The Endocannabinoid system possesses essential endogenous receptors—cannabinoid receptors type 1 (CB1R) and type 2 (CB2R)—which are involved in mechanisms that contribute to the progression of neurodegenerative diseases and some cancers. In this review, we discuss the role of the endocannabinoid system in various neurodegenerative diseases as well as some cancers, and its promise as a targeted pharmacological therapy for patients of neurodegenerative diseases.