• DOI:10.1096/fasebj.2.14.2846397
• Corpus ID: 46552755

Cannabinoids and pain responses: a possible role for prostaglandins

@article{Burstein1988CannabinoidsAP,
  title={Cannabinoids and pain responses: a possible role for prostaglandins},
  author={Sumner H Burstein and Keith M. Hull and Sheila A. Hunter and V Latham},
  journal={The FASEB Journal},
  year={1988},
  volume={2},
  pages={3022 - 3026}
}

• S. Burstein, K. Hull, +1 author V. Latham
• Published 1 November 1988
• Biology, Medicine
• The FASEB Journal

The principal metabolite of Δ1‐THC, Δ1‐THC‐7‐oic acid exhibits significant analgesic action in the mouse hot plate test. The parent Δ1‐THC has a similar effect when measured at later time points; however, 10 min after drug administration, a pronounced hyperalgesia is seen. This hyperalgesia can be inhibited by prior administration of either indomethacin or Δ1‐THC‐7‐oic acid, presumably because of their ability to inhibit eicosanoid synthesis. Administration of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), at doses that were a small fraction of the Δ1‐THC given, resulted in a strong hyperalgesic response. Unlike Δ1‐THC, the metabolite does not produce a cataleptic state in the mouse, which eliminates this as a basis for the hot plate response. The evidence presented is consistent with a mechanism in which the metabolite inhibits eicosanoid synthesis whereas the parent drug elevates tissue levels of prostaglandins.— Burstein, S. H.; Hull, K.; Hunter, S. A.; Latham, V. Cannabinoids and pain responses: a possible role for prostaglandins. FASEB J. 2: 3022‐3026; 1988.