Endocannabinoid System in the Neuroendocrine Response to Lipopolysaccharide-induced Immune Challenge

Abstract

The endocannabinoid system plays a key role in the intersection of the nervous, endocrine, and immune system, regulating not only their functions but also how they interplay with each other. Endogenous ligands, named endocannabinoids, are produced “on demand” to finely regulate the synthesis and secretion of hormones and neurotransmitters, as well as to regulate the production of cytokines and other proinflammatory mediators. It is well known that immune challenges, such as exposure to lipopolysaccharide (LPS), the main component of the Gram-negative bacteria cell wall, disrupts not only the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis but also affects other endocrine systems such as the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis and the release of oxytocin from the neurohypophysis. Here we explore which actors and molecular mechanisms are involved in these processes.

Cannabidiol and its Potential Evidence-Based Psychiatric Benefits – A Critical Review

“…The complexity of the ECS and the wide range of bodily functions and pathways it is involved in have yet to be understood. However, we do have some idea of its effects on the immune system [113], metabolic functions [114], inflammatory pathways [115], and the central nervous system [116]. In some psychiatric conditions, an imbalance in some aspects of the ECS has also been shown to be associated with the disease state [17,24,70,71,73,98,[117][118][119][120].…”

Cannabinoid Analgesia in Postoperative Pain Management: From Molecular Mechanisms to Clinical Reality

“…They act as vital stress response regulators, aiding in adaptation or habituation to stress, guarding against the onset of stress-related illnesses and dysfunctions, and ultimately, promoting survival. They achieve this by interacting with autonomic, endocrine, and immune processes and sensory signaling mechanisms [ 75 , 76 ] ( Figure 2 ). In addition, eCBs have been implicated in many behavioral processes, including memory [ 77 , 78 ], emotional state [ 79 , 80 ], feeding [ 81 ], inflammation [ 82 , 83 ], hemodynamic response [ 84 , 85 ], energy metabolism [ 86 , 87 ], pregnancy [ 88 , 89 ], and nociception [ 90 , 91 , 92 ].…”

“…Therefore, the ECS is crucial in pain management as a critical modulator of synaptic function within the central nervous system (CNS) [ 99 ]. This extends their influence beyond pain perception, regulating various neural functions and behaviors within the immune and endocrine systems [ 75 , 76 ]. In this sense, glial cells influenced by the ECS release a spectrum of signaling molecules (chemokines and cytokines) within the CNS.…”

Cannabinoids in Periodontology: Where Are We Now?

“…This system is recognized as a crucial signaling system with multiple functions in the human body. It plays a vital role in the central and peripheral control of intestinal function [32], regulates brain homeostasis by modulating the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis [33], and facilitates the interaction and function coordination between the immune, endocrine, and nervous systems [34], among other functions (Figure 1A,B). Flavonoids and terpenoids constitute other bioactive molecules contained in the plant; terpenoids are secondary metabolites with organoleptic properties that give them differential properties (A).…”