Cannabinoids, antagonists hypotensive action

Varga K, Lake K, Martin BR, Kunos G (1995) Novel antagonist implicates the CBi cannabinoid receptor in the hypotensive action of anandamide. Eur J Pharmacol 278 279-283... 

In 2003, Offertaler et al. provided further evidence for the endothelial anandamide receptor. Specifically, they reported that a novel cannabidiol analog, 0-1918, opposed the relaxant effects of anandamide and abn-cbd, the in vivo hypotensive effects of abn-cbd, and the phosphorylation of p42/44 MAP kinase induced by abn-cbd in endothelial cells. These actions of 0-1918 were independent of classical cannabinoid and vanilloid receptors, and this led the authors to conclude that 0-1918 was a selective antagonist of the endothelial anandamide receptor. It was suggested that the endothehum-dependent relaxation to abn-cbd and anandamide is G protein coupled to MAP kinase activation and charybdotoxin-sensifive potassium channels but not to nitric oxide. Taken together, the authors proposed that the novel receptor may be coupled to the release of the EDHF. 

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