Adolescent exposure to cannabinoids as a postnatal environmental insult may increase the risk of psychosis in subjects exposed to perinatal insult, as suggested by the two-hit hypothesis of schizophrenia. Here, we hypothesized that peripubertal Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (aTHC) may affect the impact of prenatal methylazoxymethanol acetate (MAM) or perinatal THC (pTHC) exposure in adult rats. We found that MAM and pTHC-exposed rats, when compared to the control group (CNT), were characterized by adult phenotype relevant to schizophrenia, including social withdrawal and cognitive impairment, as revealed by social interaction test and novel object recognition test, respectively. At the molecular level, we observed an increase in cannabinoid CB1 receptor (Cnr1) and/or dopamine D2/D3 receptor (Drd2, Drd3) gene expression in the prefrontal cortex of adult MAM or pTHC-exposed rats, which we attributed to changes in DNA methylation at key regulatory gene regions. Interestingly, aTHC treatment significantly impaired social behavior, but not cognitive performance in CNT groups. In pTHC rats, aTHC did not exacerbate the altered phenotype nor dopaminergic signaling, while it reversed cognitive deficit in MAM rats by modulating Drd2 and Drd3 gene expression. In conclusion, our results suggest that the effects of peripubertal THC exposure may depend on individual differences related to dopaminergic neurotransmission.

• Klíčová slova
• dopamine D2/D3 receptors, methylazoxymethanol acetate, psychopathology, Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol,
• MeSH
• dopamin metabolismus   MeSH
• krysa rodu Rattus MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• modely nemocí na zvířatech MeSH
• prefrontální mozková kůra účinky léků   metabolismus   MeSH
• receptory dopaminu D3 metabolismus   MeSH
• schizofrenie * chemicky indukované   MeSH
• těhotenství MeSH
• tetrahydrokanabinol * toxicita   MeSH
• zpožděný efekt prenatální expozice * metabolismus   MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• krysa rodu Rattus MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• těhotenství MeSH
• ženské pohlaví MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• Názvy látek
• dopamin MeSH
• receptory dopaminu D3 MeSH
• tetrahydrokanabinol * MeSH

In agreement with the neurodevelopmental hypothesis of schizophrenia, prenatal exposure of Sprague-Dawley rats to the antimitotic agent methylazoxymethanol acetate (MAM) at gestational day 17 produces long-lasting behavioral alterations such as social withdrawal and cognitive impairment in adulthood, mimicking a schizophrenia-like phenotype. These abnormalities were preceded at neonatal age both by the delayed appearance of neonatal reflexes, an index of impaired brain maturation, and by higher 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) brain levels. Schizophrenia-like deficits were reversed by early treatment [from postnatal day (PND) 2 to PND 8] with the CB1 antagonist/inverse agonist AM251 (0.5 mg/kg/day). By contrast, early CB1 blockade affected the behavioral performance of control rats which was paralleled by enhanced 2-AG content in the prefrontal cortex (PFC). These results suggest that prenatal MAM insult leads to premorbid anomalies at neonatal age via altered tone of the endocannabinoid system, which may be considered as an early marker preceding the development of schizophrenia-like alterations in adulthood.

• Klíčová slova
• 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG), AM251, MAM model, cannabinoid CB1 receptor, endocannabinoid system, schizophrenia,
• MeSH
• krysa rodu Rattus MeSH
• methylazoxymethanolacetát * MeSH
• modely nemocí na zvířatech MeSH
• potkani Sprague-Dawley MeSH
• receptor kanabinoidní CB1 MeSH
• schizofrenie * chemicky indukované   farmakoterapie   genetika   MeSH
• těhotenství MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• krysa rodu Rattus MeSH
• těhotenství MeSH
• ženské pohlaví MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• Názvy látek
• methylazoxymethanolacetát * MeSH
• receptor kanabinoidní CB1 MeSH

Perinatal exposure to Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) affects brain development and might increase the incidence of psychopathology later in life, which seems to be related to a dysregulation of endocannabinoid and/or dopaminergic systems. We here evaluated the transcriptional regulation of the genes encoding for the cannabinoid CB1 receptor (Cnr1) and the dopamine D2 receptor (Drd2) in perinatal THC-(pTHC) exposed male rats, focusing on the role of DNA methylation analyzed by pyrosequencing. Simultaneously, the molecular and behavioral abnormalities at two different time points (i.e., neonatal age and adulthood) and the potential preventive effect of peripubertal treatment with cannabidiol, a non-euphoric component of Cannabis, were assessed. The DRD2 methylation was also evaluated in a cohort of subjects with schizophrenia. We observed an increase in both Cnr1 and Drd2 mRNA levels selectively in the prefrontal cortex of adult pTHC-exposed rats with a consistent reduction in DNA methylation at the Drd2 regulatory region, paralleled by social withdrawal and cognitive impairment which were reversed by cannabidiol treatment. These adult abnormalities were preceded at neonatal age by delayed appearance of neonatal reflexes, higher Drd2 mRNA and lower 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) brain levels, which persisted till adulthood. Alterations of the epigenetic mark for DRD2 were also found in subjects with schizophrenia. Overall, reported data add further evidence to the dopamine-cannabinoid interaction in terms of DRD2 and CNR1 dysregulation which could be implicated in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia spectrum disorders, suggesting that cannabidiol treatment may normalize pTHC-induced psychopathology by modulating the altered dopaminergic activity.

• Klíčová slova
• Cannabidiol, Cannabinoid CB1 receptor, DNA methylation, Dopamine D2 receptor, Epigenetics, Schizophrenia, THC,
• MeSH
• chování zvířat účinky léků   MeSH
• krysa rodu Rattus MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• maternofetální výměna látek MeSH
• messenger RNA metabolismus   MeSH
• metylace DNA účinky léků   MeSH
• potkani Sprague-Dawley MeSH
• prefrontální mozková kůra účinky léků   metabolismus   MeSH
• receptor kanabinoidní CB1 genetika   MeSH
• receptory dopaminu D2 genetika   MeSH
• regulace genové exprese účinky léků   MeSH
• schizofrenie genetika   MeSH
• těhotenství MeSH
• tetrahydrokanabinol farmakologie   MeSH
• zpožděný efekt prenatální expozice * MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• krysa rodu Rattus MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• mužské pohlaví MeSH
• těhotenství MeSH
• ženské pohlaví MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• Názvy látek
• messenger RNA MeSH
• receptor kanabinoidní CB1 MeSH
• receptory dopaminu D2 MeSH
• tetrahydrokanabinol MeSH

Gestational methylazoxymethanol acetate (MAM) treatment produces offspring with adult phenotype relevant to schizophrenia, including positive- and negative-like symptoms, cognitive deficits, dopaminergic dysfunction, structural and functional abnormalities. Here we show that adult rats prenatally treated with MAM at gestational day 17 display significant increase in dopamine D3 receptor (D3) mRNA expression in prefrontal cortex (PFC), hippocampus and nucleus accumbens, accompanied by increased expression of dopamine D2 receptor (D2) mRNA exclusively in the PFC. Furthermore, a significant change in the blood perfusion at the level of the circle of Willis and hippocampus, paralleled by the enlargement of lateral ventricles, was also detected by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques. Peripubertal treatment with the non-euphoric phytocannabinoid cannabidiol (30 mg/kg) from postnatal day (PND) 19 to PND 39 was able to reverse in MAM exposed rats: i) the up-regulation of the dopamine D3 receptor mRNA (only partially prevented by haloperidol 0.6 mg/kg/day); and ii) the regional blood flow changes in MAM exposed rats. Molecular modelling predicted that cannabidiol could bind preferentially to dopamine D3 receptor, where it may act as a partial agonist according to conformation of ionic-lock, which is highly conserved in GPCRs. In summary, our results demonstrate that the mRNA expression of both dopamine D2 and D3 receptors is altered in the MAM model; however only the transcript levels of D3 are affected by cannabidiol treatment, likely suggesting that this gene might not only contribute to the schizophrenia symptoms but also represent an unexplored target for the antipsychotic activity of cannabidiol.

• Klíčová slova
• Arterial Spine Labelling, Cannabidiol, Dopamine D3 receptor, MAM model, Molecular Dynamics, Schizophrenia,
• MeSH
• antipsychotika farmakologie   MeSH
• haloperidol chemie   farmakologie   MeSH
• kanabidiol chemie   farmakologie   MeSH
• magnetická rezonanční tomografie MeSH
• methylazoxymethanolacetát toxicita   MeSH
• modely nemocí na zvířatech MeSH
• molekulární modely MeSH
• mozek diagnostické zobrazování   účinky léků   MeSH
• mozkový krevní oběh MeSH
• potkani Sprague-Dawley MeSH
• puberta MeSH
• receptory dopaminu D2 chemie   genetika   metabolismus   MeSH
• receptory dopaminu D3 chemie   genetika   metabolismus   MeSH
• regulace genové exprese MeSH
• schizofrenie chemicky indukované   diagnostické zobrazování   farmakoterapie   genetika   MeSH
• simulace molekulární dynamiky MeSH
• těhotenství MeSH
• zpožděný efekt prenatální expozice MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• mužské pohlaví MeSH
• těhotenství MeSH
• ženské pohlaví MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• Názvy látek
• antipsychotika MeSH
• DRD2 protein, mouse MeSH Prohlížeč
• haloperidol MeSH
• kanabidiol MeSH
• methylazoxymethanolacetát MeSH
• receptory dopaminu D2 MeSH
• receptory dopaminu D3 MeSH

In agreement with the neurodevelopmental hypothesis of schizophrenia, prenatal exposure of rats to the antimitotic agent methylazoxymethanol acetate (MAM) at gestational day 17 produced long-lasting behavioral alterations such as social withdrawal and cognitive impairment in the social interaction test and in the novel object recognition test, respectively. At the molecular level, an increased cannabinoid receptor type-1 (CB1) mRNA and protein expression, which might be due to reduction in DNA methylation at the gene promoter in the prefrontal cortex (PFC), coincided with deficits in the social interaction test and in the novel object recognition test in MAM rats. Both the schizophrenia-like phenotype and altered transcriptional regulation of CB1 receptors were reversed by peripubertal treatment (from PND 19 to PND 39) with the non-psychotropic phytocannabinoid cannabidiol (30 mg/kg/day), or, in part, by treatment with the cannabinoid CB1 receptor antagonist/inverse agonist AM251 (0.5 mg/kg/day), but not with haloperidol (0.6 mg/kg/day). These results suggest that early treatment with cannabidiol may prevent both the appearance of schizophrenia-like deficits as well as CB1 alterations in the PFC at adulthood, supporting that peripubertal cannabidiol treatment might be protective against MAM insult.

• Klíčová slova
• Cannabidiol, Cannabinoid CB1 receptor, MAM model, Schizophrenia,
• MeSH
• amidy MeSH
• endokanabinoidy metabolismus   MeSH
• ethanolaminy metabolismus   MeSH
• glyceridy metabolismus   MeSH
• hipokampus metabolismus   MeSH
• interpersonální vztahy MeSH
• kanabidiol farmakologie   MeSH
• krysa rodu Rattus MeSH
• kyseliny arachidonové metabolismus   MeSH
• kyseliny olejové metabolismus   MeSH
• kyseliny palmitové metabolismus   MeSH
• messenger RNA metabolismus   MeSH
• methylazoxymethanolacetát farmakologie   MeSH
• modely nemocí na zvířatech MeSH
• piperidiny farmakologie   MeSH
• pohybová aktivita účinky léků   MeSH
• polynenasycené alkamidy metabolismus   MeSH
• prefrontální mozková kůra metabolismus   MeSH
• puberta MeSH
• pyrazoly farmakologie   MeSH
• receptor kanabinoidní CB1 metabolismus   MeSH
• rozpoznávání (psychologie) účinky léků   MeSH
• schizofrenie chemicky indukované   farmakoterapie   metabolismus   MeSH
• těhotenství MeSH
• zpožděný efekt prenatální expozice farmakoterapie   metabolismus   MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• krysa rodu Rattus MeSH
• mužské pohlaví MeSH
• těhotenství MeSH
• ženské pohlaví MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• Názvy látek
• AM 251 MeSH Prohlížeč
• amidy MeSH
• anandamide MeSH Prohlížeč
• endokanabinoidy MeSH
• ethanolaminy MeSH
• glyceridy MeSH
• glyceryl 2-arachidonate MeSH Prohlížeč
• kanabidiol MeSH
• kyseliny arachidonové MeSH
• kyseliny olejové MeSH
• kyseliny palmitové MeSH
• messenger RNA MeSH
• methylazoxymethanolacetát MeSH
• N-oleoylethanolamine MeSH Prohlížeč
• palmidrol MeSH Prohlížeč
• piperidiny MeSH
• polynenasycené alkamidy MeSH
• pyrazoly MeSH
• receptor kanabinoidní CB1 MeSH

In recent years, several studies have explored the involvement of the deregulation of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis in the pathophysiology of stress-related disorders. HPA hyper-activation as a consequence of acute/chronic stress has been found to play a major role in the neurobiological changes that are responsible for the onset of such states. Currently available medications for depression, one of the most relevant stress-related disorders, present several limitations, including a time lag for treatment response and low rates of efficacy. N-Arachidonoylserotonin (AA-5-HT), a dual blocker at fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH, the enzyme responsible for the inactivation of the endocannabinoid anandamide) and transient receptor potential vanilloid type-1 channel (TRPV1), produces anxiolytic-like effects in mice. The present study was designed to assess the capability of AA-5-HT to reverse the behavioral despair following exposure to stress in rats and the role of the HPA-axis. Behavioral tasks were performed, and corticosterone and endocannabinoid (anandamide and 2-arachidonoylglycerol) levels were measured in selected brain areas critically involved in the pathophysiology of stress-related disorders (medial PFC and hippocampus) under basal and stress conditions, and in response to treatment with AA-5-HT. Our data show that AA-5-HT reverses the rat behavioral despair in the forced swim test under stress conditions, and this effect is associated with the normalization of the HPA-axis deregulation that follows stress application and only in part with elevation of anandamide levels. Blockade of FAAH and TRPV1 may thus represent a novel target to design novel therapeutic strategies for the treatment of stress-related disorders.

• Klíčová slova
• FAAH, HPA-axis, N-Arachidonoylserotonin, Stress, TRPV1,
• MeSH
• amidohydrolasy antagonisté a inhibitory   genetika   metabolismus   MeSH
• chování zvířat účinky léků   MeSH
• endokanabinoidy metabolismus   MeSH
• fyzické omezení MeSH
• glyceridy metabolismus   MeSH
• kationtové kanály TRPV antagonisté a inhibitory   genetika   metabolismus   MeSH
• kortikosteron krev   MeSH
• krysa rodu Rattus MeSH
• kyseliny arachidonové metabolismus   farmakologie   terapeutické užití   MeSH
• mozek účinky léků   metabolismus   MeSH
• mozkový neurotrofický faktor genetika   metabolismus   MeSH
• plavání MeSH
• polynenasycené alkamidy metabolismus   MeSH
• potkani Wistar MeSH
• psychický stres krev   farmakoterapie   metabolismus   MeSH
• serotonin analogy a deriváty   farmakologie   terapeutické užití   MeSH
• systém hypofýza - nadledviny MeSH
• systém hypotalamus-hypofýza MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• krysa rodu Rattus MeSH
• mužské pohlaví MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• Názvy látek
• amidohydrolasy MeSH
• anandamide MeSH Prohlížeč
• arachidonoylserotonin MeSH Prohlížeč
• endokanabinoidy MeSH
• fatty-acid amide hydrolase MeSH Prohlížeč
• glyceridy MeSH
• glyceryl 2-arachidonate MeSH Prohlížeč
• kationtové kanály TRPV MeSH
• kortikosteron MeSH
• kyseliny arachidonové MeSH
• mozkový neurotrofický faktor MeSH
• polynenasycené alkamidy MeSH
• serotonin MeSH
• Trpv1 protein, rat MeSH Prohlížeč

The endocannabinoid system (ECS), comprising two G protein-coupled receptors (the cannabinoid receptors 1 and 2 [CB1 and CB2] for marijuana's psychoactive principle ∆(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol [∆(9)-THC]), their endogenous small lipid ligands (namely anandamide [AEA] and 2-arachidonoylglycerol [2-AG], also known as endocannabinoids), and the proteins for endocannabinoid biosynthesis and degradation, has been suggested as a pro-homeostatic and pleiotropic signaling system activated in a time- and tissue-specific way during physiopathological conditions. In the brain activation of this system modulates the release of excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters and of cytokines from glial cells. As such, the ECS is strongly involved in neuropsychiatric disorders, particularly in affective disturbances such as anxiety and depression. It has been proposed that synthetic molecules that inhibit endocannabinoid degradation can exploit the selectivity of endocannabinoid action, thus activating cannabinoid receptors only in those tissues where there is perturbed endocannabinoid turnover due to the disorder, and avoiding the potential side effects of direct CB1 and CB2 activation. However, the realization that endocannabinoids, and AEA in particular, also act at other molecular targets, and that these mediators can be deactivated by redundant pathways, has recently led to question the efficacy of such approach, thus opening the way to new multi-target therapeutic strategies, and to the use of non-psychotropic cannabinoids, such as cannabidiol (CBD), which act via several parallel mechanisms, including indirect interactions with the ECS. The state of the art of the possible therapeutic use of endocannabinoid deactivation inhibitors and phytocannabinoids in mood disorders is discussed in this review article.

• MeSH
• antidepresiva farmakologie   terapeutické užití   MeSH
• anxiolytika farmakologie   terapeutické užití   MeSH
• endokanabinoidy metabolismus   MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• modely nemocí na zvířatech MeSH
• poruchy nálady farmakoterapie   metabolismus   MeSH
• receptory kanabinoidní metabolismus   MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• přehledy MeSH
• Názvy látek
• antidepresiva MeSH
• anxiolytika MeSH
• endokanabinoidy MeSH
• receptory kanabinoidní MeSH