• DOI:10.2337/DIABETES.54.10.2838
• Corpus ID: 13785375

Activation of the peripheral endocannabinoid system in human obesity.

@article{Engeli2005ActivationOT,
  title={Activation of the peripheral endocannabinoid system in human obesity.},
  author={Stefan Engeli and Jana B{\"o}hnke and Mareike Feldpausch and Kerstin Gorzelniak and J{\"u}rgen Janke and Sandor Batkai and P{\'a}l Pacher and Judith Harvey‐White and Friedrich C. Luft and Arya M. Sharma and Jens Jordan},
  journal={Diabetes},
  year={2005},
  volume={54 10},
  pages={
          2838-43
        }
}

• S. Engeli, J. Böhnke, +8 authors J. Jordan
• Published 1 October 2005
• Biology, Medicine
• Diabetes

Obesity is the main risk factor for the development of type 2 diabetes. Activation of the central endocannabinoid system increases food intake and promotes weight gain. Blockade of the cannabinoid type 1 (CB-1) receptor reduces body weight in animals by central and peripheral actions; the role of the peripheral endocannabinoid system in human obesity is now being extensively investigated. We measured circulating endocannabinoid concentrations and studied the expression of CB-1 and the main degrading enzyme, fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH), in adipose tissue of lean (n = 20) and obese (n = 20) women and after a 5% weight loss in a second group of women (n = 17). Circulating levels of anandamide and 1/2-arachidonoylglycerol were increased by 35 and 52% in obese compared with lean women (P < 0.05). Adipose tissue mRNA levels were reduced by -34% for CB-1 and -59% for FAAH in obese subjects (P < 0.05). A strong negative correlation was found between FAAH expression in adipose tissue and circulating endocannabinoids. Circulating endocannabinoids and CB-1 or FAAH expression were not affected by 5% weight loss. The expression of CB-1 and FAAH was increased in mature human adipocytes compared with in preadipocytes and was found in several human tissues. Our findings support the presence of a peripheral endocannabinoid system that is upregulated in human obesity.