Q: What do dogs, cats and humans have in common with Cannabis?
A: The Endocannabinoid System.
Our pets have CB-1 receptors in the brain and
CB-2 receptors in the body, their natural
messenger cannabinoids are anandamide and
2-AG, anandamide's effects can occur in
either the central or peripheral nervous
system.
These distinct effects are mediated primarily
by CB1 cannabinoid receptors in the central
nervous system, and CB2 cannabinoid
receptors in the periphery.
The latter are mainly involved in functions of
the immune system.
Cannabinoid receptors were originally
discovered as being sensitive to
Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol
(Δ9-THC, commonly called THC), which is
the primary psychoactive cannabinoid found
in cannabis.
The discovery of anandamide came from
research into CB1and CB2, as it was
inevitable that a naturally occurring
(endogenous) chemical would be found to
affect these receptors.
The 2-AG is an endocannabinoid, an
endogenous agonist of the CB1 receptor.
It is an ester formed from the omega-6 fatty
acid arachidonic acid and glycerol. It is
present at relatively high levels in the central
nervous
system,
with
cannabinoid
neuromodulatory
effects
stimulating
receptors in your pets brain and throughout
the body.
The cannabinoids in cannabis attach to those
same receptors. However, they resist letting
go of those receptors so their effect is more
powerful and longer lasting.
Drugs that hang on to receptors longer than
the natural messengers are called an agonist.
The chief agonist cannabinoids in cannabis
are Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (aka THC or
delta-9) and cannabidiol(aka CBD).
When the effects of cannabinoids wear off, it
is because they were processed (metabolized)
by the pet’s liver into compounds that left
through the bile and urine or were stored in
the pet’s body fat.
These two endocannabinoids, or signalling
molecules—known as Anandamideand 2-AG,
are of great importance:
When manufactured and released within the
body, Anandamide and 2-AG 'bind' or 'fit' into
the CB1 and CB2 receptors like keys fitting
into locks, activating them to tackle the job of
restoring a variety of aspects of health.
Phytocannabinoids
Phytocannabinoids are plant substances that
stimulate cannabinoid receptors.
These cannabinoids are abundant in the resin
that is produced by glandular structures in the
cannabis plant called trichomes.
This resin is also rich in terpenes, which are
responsible for the characteristic smell of the
cannabis plant. Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol,
or THC, is the most psychoactive and
certainly the most known of these substances,
but other cannabinoids such as cannabidiol
(CBD) and cannabinol (CBN) are gaining the
interest due to a variety of healing properties.
Cannabinoid receptors are present throughout
the body, embedded in cell membranes, and
are believed to be more numerous than any
other receptor system.