Endogenous peptide activates THC receptors

[Getafix]

Human Brains Make Their Own 'Marijuana'

ScienceDaily (April 20, 2009)

U.S. and Brazilian scientists have discovered that the brain manufactures proteins that act like marijuana at specific receptors in the brain itself. This discovery may lead to new marijuana-like drugs for managing pain, stimulating appetite, and preventing marijuana abuse.

"Ideally, this development will lead to drugs that bind to and activate the THC receptor, but are devoid of the side effects that limit the usefulness of marijuana," said Lakshmi A. Devi of the Department of Pharmacology and Systems Therapeutics at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York and one of the senior researchers involved in the study. "It would be helpful to have a drug that activated or blocked the THC receptor, and our findings raise the possibility that this will lead to effective drugs with fewer side effects."

Scientists made their discovery by first extracting several small proteins, called peptides, from the brains of mice and determining their amino acid sequence. The extracted proteins were then compared with another peptide previously known to bind to, but not activate, the receptor (THC) affected by marijuana. Out of the extracted proteins, several not only bound to the brain's THC receptors, but activated them as well.

"The War on Drugs has hit very close to home," said Gerald Weissmann, M.D., Editor-in-Chief of The FASEB Journal. "Last year, scientists found that our skin makes its own marijuana-like substance. Now, we see that our brain has been making proteins that act directly on the marijuana receptors in our head. The next step is for scientists to come up with new medicines that eliminate the nasty side of pot—a better joint, so to speak."

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Journal reference:
1. Ivone Gomes, Julia S. Grushko, Urszula Golebiewska, Sascha Hoogendoorn, Achla Gupta, Andrea S. Heimann, Emer S. Ferro, Suzanne Scarlata, Lloyd D. Fricker, and Lakshmi A. Devi. Novel endogenous peptide agonists of cannabinoid receptors. FASEB J, DOI:
Novel endogenous peptide agonists of cannabinoid receptors

 

[Space-is-the-Place]

What a load of crap.
Why replace MJ?
It's been around for thousands of years and now chemists want to make a drug that is like it so they can get a patent on it, because they can't patent the plant.
Jesus H. FUCKING Christ!!

To make Marihuana against the law is like saying God made a mistake
It's like God on the seventh day looked down at his creation:"There it is, perfect and holy in all ways. Now I can rest.... Ohw my me.... I left fucking pot everywhere. I should never have smoked that joint on the third day.
That was the day I created possums, hahaha, still gives me a chuckle.
If I leave pot everywhere that's going to give humans the impression they're supposed to use it! Now I have to create republicans"
And God wept

 

[Oknayd]

"The next step is for scientists to come up with new medicines that eliminate the nasty side of pot"

lol, what do they mean? the high? fewer side effects? what the hell.. :roll:
or do they mean babylon stepping in and crushing your joint, preventing you from new creative thoughts or newfound self-awareness :shock:

 

[Psychoid]

What are the nasty side-effects of pot?
The only one that comes to my mind is the lazyness, and I don't think they will be able to make a drug that produces all the exact same effect except this one.

But of course, we all know they mean the high! Cause they consider it nasty... Anti-mind-expansion FTW!

 

[restin]

they obviously mean the "high".

Hmm.

Well, you can't extract one part as the whole is essential. Strange.

 

[GOD]

Same story with methadone , crap that gets you adicted and doesnt get you high .

 

[lol*fan]

Nasty side effect of marihuana for me would be the decrease of short-term memory, when used regularly. But maybe it's there so we do not use it too often? Who knows.

 

[Dantediv86]

The "nasty" side efect would be that of curing you.

 

[Shadowlord]

Same story with methadone , crap that gets you adicted and doesnt get you high .

Exactly. THC minus the spirit of the Herb.
And something they can prescribe you and charge you for and keep you from questioning the lies they feed you. They don't have a problem w/ numbing your mind, just don't use it!

 

[JustinNed]

I think the side effects they were talking about was, everyone knows that if you smoke TOO much pot you are going to go insane and go stab your neighbors to death, DUH!

 

[Shadowlord]

I think the side effects they were talking about was, everyone knows that if you smoke TOO much pot you are going to go insane and go stab your neighbors to death, DUH!

Gosh! SO that's why I keep killing all the neighbors!
And here I thought the Pot was making me peaceful. :lol:
Although, from the comercials, I should have known that I would shoot my friends in the head w/ a gun and have to throw out all my stuff and forget all my dreams.

Anti Pot propaganda would be funny if people didn't buy into the lies.

 

[mrvitorsky]

I am a heavy pot user myself. I can admit their are side effects that an everyday working joe might wanna avoid. Drowsiness, hunger, short term memory loss, Libido(some, simply slowing of blood flow constricting of vessels goes with next),simply the act of inhaling all that smoke is fucking you and me up physically, these are all side effects other than the high even. If you don't experience all of these(except libido) you aren't a heavy user, and think about it they are going for a 24 hour anti nausea or pain pill that's heavy consumption. Don't sink to their level don't be an alarmist.

Methadone and this are very different as well, you can become psychologically addicted to Marijuana not physically removing the high for marijuana might remove addiction as well. There's no point in being addicted to a non intrusive nausea and pain pill which is what i think they are aiming for.

Oh ya and Hi...