Main description:

As research has progressed, the cannabinoid CB 1 and CB 2 receptors have expanded significantly in importance within the neuroscience mainstream. In The Cannabinoid Receptors, leading experts introduce newcomers to the cannabinoid field with chapters covering cannabinoid ligand synthesis and structure activity relationships, the molecular pharmacology of the cannabinoid receptors and the endocannabinoid system, and ultimately, the whole animal pharmacology and therapeutic applications for cannabinoid drugs. Adding to those key topics, the book also examines the current direction of the field with chapters on new putative cannabinoid receptors and challenges for future research. As a part of The Receptors (TM) series, this volume highlights its receptor with the most thorough, focused and essential information available.

Comprehensive and cutting-edge, The Cannabinoid Receptors serves as an ideal guidebook to what continues to be a fascinating and vital field.

Contents:

I. Cannabinoid Receptor Ligands and Structure Activity Relationships
Chapter 1. Structure Activity Relationships (SAR) of Classical Cannabinoids
Raj K. Razdan

Chapter 2. Endocannabinoids and Their Synthetic Analogs
V. Kiran Vemuri and Alexandros Makriyannis

Chapter 3. Cannabimimetic Indoles, Pyrroles and Indenes: Structure-Activity Relationships and Receptor Interactions
John W. Huffman

Chapter 4. Structure-Activity Relationships and Conformational Freedom of CB1 Receptor Antagonists and Inverse Agonists
Yanan Zhang, Herbert H. Seltzman, Marcus Brackeen and Brian F. Thomas

II. Cannabinoid Receptor Biology

Chapter 5. Cannabinoid Receptor Genetics and Evolution
Maurice R. Elphick and Michaela Egertova

III. Cannabinoid Receptor Molecular Pharmacology

Chapter 6. Cannabinoid Receptor Signal Transduction Pathways
Emma Scotter, Scott Graham and Michelle Glass

Chapter 7. Cannabinoid Agonist and Inverse Agonist Regulation of G-Protein Coupling
Allyn C. Howlett, Lea W. Padgett and Joong-Youn Shim

Chapter 8. Molecular Biology of Cannabinoid Receptors: Mutational Analyses of the CB receptors
Mary E. Abood

Chapter 9. Models of Cannabinoid Inverse Agonism, Neutral Antagonism and Agonism: Tools for RationalDrug Design
Dow P. Hurst and Patricia H. Reggio

IV. The Endocannabinoid System

Chapter 10. Endocannabinoids as Modulators of Synaptic Signaling
Sachin Patel and Cecilia J. Hillard
Chapter 11. New Insights into the Endocannabinoid System by using Cannabinoid Receptor Knockout Mice
Meliha Karsak, Itai Bab and Andreas Zimmer

V. Cannabinoid Receptor Pharmacology

Chapter 12. Preclinical Pharmacological and Brain Bioassay Systems for CB1 Cannabinoid Receptors
Jenny L. Wiley and Billy R. Martin

Chapter 13. Therapeutic Applications for Agents that Act at CB1 and CB2 Receptors
Roger G. Pertwee and Adele Thomas