Chemical Composition of Volatile Oils of Fresh and Air-Dried Buds of Cannabis chemovars, Their Insecticidal and Repellent Activities
NATURAL PRODUCT COMMUNICATIONS
Authors: Wanas, Amira S.; Radwan, Mohamed M.; Chandra, Suman; Lata, Hemant; Mehmedic, Zlatko; Ali, Abbas; Baser, K. H. C.; Demirci, Betul; ElSohly, Mahmoud A.
Abstract
The volatile oils of fresh and air-dried buds of 3 different varieties of Cannabis, namely, high cannabidiol (CBD) chemotype, inter- mediate CBD/tetrahydrocannabinol chemotype, and high THC chemotype were prepared by hydrodistillation. Gas chro- matography analysis of the volatile oils resulted in the identification of 71 compounds, of which 33 were monoterpenes and 38 were sesquiterpenes. The volatile oil obtained from the THC chemotype showed an increase in the ratio of the sesquiterpenes to monoterpenes content. The content of terpinolene was dramatically decreased upon drying of THC chemotype. Moderate increase in beta-caryophyllene and caryophyllene oxide was observed. However, there was no detectable change in the percentage of monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes content in both the intermediate type and CBD chemotype upon drying. The insecticidal activity of the volatile oils was evaluated. The oil obtained from the fresh and dried high CBD cannabis showed good biting deterrent activity at 10 ug/cm(2) compared with N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide at 4.78 mu g/cm(2), and good larvicidal activity.
Developmentally Transient CB1Rs on Cerebellar Afferents Suppress Afferent Input, Downstream Synaptic Excitation, and Signaling to Migrating Neurons
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
Authors: Barnes, Jesse L.; Mohr, Claudia; Ritchey, Caitlin R.; Erikson, Chloe M.; Shiina, Hiroko; Rossi, David J.
Abstract
The endocannabinoid system plays important roles in brain development, but mechanistic studies have focused on neuronal differentiation, migration, and synaptogenesis, with less attention to transcellular interactions that coordinate neurodevelopmental processes across developing neural networks. We determined that, in the developing rodent cerebellar cortex (of both sexes), there is a transient window when the dominant brain cannabinoid receptor, CB1R, is expressed on afferent terminals instead of output neuron Purkinje cell synapses that dominate the adult cerebellum. Activation of these afferent CB1Rs suppresses synaptic transmission onto developing granule cells, and consequently also suppresses excitation of downstream neurons in the developing cortical network, including nonsynaptic, migrating neurons. Application of a CB1R antagonist during afferent stimulation trains and depolarizing voltage steps caused a significant, sustained potentiation of synaptic amplitude. Our data demonstrate that transiently expressed afferent CBIRs regulate afferent synaptic strength during synaptogenesis, which enables coordinated dampening of transcortical developmental signals.