Endocannabinoids, Astrocytes, and Multiple Sclerosis
An international team of researchers coordinated by the EHU, ACHUCARRO, and IIS Biobizkaia has linked cannabinoid receptors located in astrocytes to the formation of demyelinating lesions in multiple sclerosis.
The study, published in the Journal of Neuroinflammation, reveals that astroglial CB1 receptors facilitate the breakdown of the blood-brain barrier and the extravasation (leakage) of immune cells during the formation of inflammatory lesions in the brain and spinal cord.
The Principal Investigator Susana Mato, from the Endocannabinoids and Neuroglial Cells laboratory, leads this research conducted in collaboration with Giovanni Marsicano (Neurocentre Magendie), Candice Chapouly (University of Bordeaux), and Diego Clemente (National Hospital for Paraplegics). Using histological and functional approaches applied to complementary models of inflammation, the work demonstrates that endocannabinoid compounds modulate astrocyte activity during the formation of the inflammatory lesions characteristic of multiple sclerosis by acting through CB1 receptors.
At a mechanistic level, the study identifies an early role for astroglial endocannabinoid signaling in the alterations of the blood-brain barrier. these changes enable immune system cells to infiltrate nervous tissue and ultimately determine the severity of the disease.
Altogether, this work underscores the importance of (endo)cannabinoid compounds in the astroglial control of the blood-brain barrier. This novel mechanism may be highly relevant in the context of using cannabinoid-based medications for patients with multiple sclerosis.
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