The Endocannabinoidome: The World of Endocannabinoids and Related Mediators

by Vincenzo Di Marzo, Jenny Wang

Overview

The Endocannabinoidome: The World of Endocannabinoids and Related Mediators is dedicated to the latest research and studies on endocannabinoids and cannabinoid receptors to illustrate their important role in the discovery of new, endocannabinoid-related, lipid mediators. Written by leading experts across different disciplines, this book focuses on the biochemical and anlayticial aspects of novel lipid signals, their pharmacological activities and their potential utilization for the development of new and effective therapeutic strategies. The first book of its kind, The Endocannabinoidome is a meaningful reference for all those involved in experimental efforts to further the development of this field.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780124201262
Publisher:	Elsevier Science
Publication date:	09/19/2014
Pages:	208
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Dr. Di Marzo has been invited to over 100 International conferences, including a plenary lecture at the Seventh International Conference on Eicosanoids and Other Bioactive Lipids in Cancer and Inflammation, in Nashville in October 2001, the Opening Lecture at the School of Neuroscience, held in Catania, July, 2003, a plenary lecture at the Italian Academy of Sciences (Academia Nazionale dei Lincei), in Rome, November 2004, a key note lecture at the 2nd Conference on Non-Mammalian Eicosanoids, Berlin, May 2006, plenary lectures at the 2nd and 3rd Gordon Conference on Cannabinoid function in the brain, Switzerland, 2007 and USA, 2009, a plenary lecture at the XIX National Meeting on Medicinal Chemistry in Verona, September 2008, and a plenary lecture at the 2012 International Conference of PAIN (IASP) held in Milan, August 28. He has been Co-chair at the 4th Gordon Conference on “Cannabinoid function in the brain”, Les Diablerets, Switzerland, May 2011.

Jenny W. Wang obtained a BS from Peking University in China, a MS from the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) in the USA, and a Ph.D. from the University of Aberdeen in the UK. Dr. Wang’s professional discipline includes biochemistry, molecular/cellular biology, and pharmacology with experience in anti-cancer, potassium channel, retinoid, and eicosanoid research. She gained extensive knowledge on RNA, DNA, protein, lipid, and assay development while working at City of Hope, California Institute of Technology, Beckman Instruments and Allergan Inc. Dr. Wang is a researcher with a passion in drug discovery. She is currently a Research Investigator on the fatty acid amides program and the team leader on prostamides for hair growth at Allergan, California, USA, where she particularly focuses on eicosanoid research. Her major current therapeutic interests are inflammation and hair growth. In addition to her own research, Dr. Wang enjoys the interaction with academic collaborators and contract research organizations. Dr. Wang is an author of 30 peer-reviewed publications, an inventor on 34 patents (3 granted, 18 published, 13 pending), and has been invited speaker/session chairman at various scientific meetings.

Table of Contents

Introduction

1. Non-endocannabinoid N-acylethanolamines and Monoacylglycerols: Old Molecules, New Targets
2. Omega-3 Polyunsaturated N-acylethanolamines: A Link Between Diet and Cellular Biology
3. Lipoaminoacids: A Combinatoral World of New Lipid Signals
4. Oxidative Metabolites of Endocannabinoids Formed by Cycloocygenase-2
5. N-acyldopamines and N-acylserotonins: From Synthetic Pharmacological Tools to Endogenous Multi-Target Mediators
6. The Pharmacology of Prostaglandin F_2a Ethanolamide and Bimatoprost Reveals a Unique Feed-Back Mechanism on Endocannabinoid Actions
7. Prostamide F_2a Biosynthesizing Enzymes
8. Metabolic Enzymes for Endocannabinoids and Endocannabinoid-like Mediators
9. Endocannabinoidomics: "Omics" Approaches Applied to Endocannabinoids and Endocannabinoid-like Mediators
10. Common Receptors for Endocannabinoid-like Mediators and Plant Cannabinoids

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

Breaks down the complexity and highlights the significance of endocannabinoid and cannabinoid receptor research to enable further developments in the discovery of novel lipid mediators that have the ability to contribute to effective therapies

Editorial Reviews

Reviewer: Kenneth E. McCarson, PhD (University of Kansas Medical Center)
Description: This book describes the complex array of lipid mediators relevant to endocannabinoid signaling in an attempt to characterize a new "endocannabinoidome" that could form the basis of new strategies for drug development to modify endocannabinoid function. It is composed of a collection of review chapters, each addressing portions of the endocannabinoidome as defined by structurally similar lipid mediators.
Purpose: The editor states that this book is "the first attempt to render a comprehensive overview of the complexity of the biochemistry and pharmacology of endocannabinoids," and suggests that they represent a new "ome" (as in genome) rich with targets for drug development. While of specific interest to lipid signaling biochemists, the objective within that arena is worthy. The book meets the editor's objectives with regard to the breadth and variety of relevant chemical mediators, and does try to knit together an endocannabinoidome perspective in the process.
Audience: The editor does not indicate an intended audience, but implies it is his fellow contributors by extolling the content as having high potential for "our" understanding needed for novel strategies to develop therapies and medicines. This accurately reflects the high-level content that would be accessible only to experienced students or investigators in the areas of chemistry, biochemistry, or pharmacology with sufficient background knowledge in this area. The editor and contributing authors are authoritative experts drawn from academic and industrial research environments in Europe, Japan, and the U.S.
Features: The book does a very good job of capturing the incredibly large array of endocannabinoid-related mediators in chapters based on relevant chemical classes. Amide, dopamine, serotonin, and prostaglandin-like moieties are covered in detail by individual chapters, as are omega-3 polyunsaturated diet-derived mediators and relevant products of COX and other metabolic enzymes. The book includes a definitive chapter on the chromatographic techniques used to separate and define the individual relevant mediators and the endocannabinoidome that they form. It concludes with a chapter on cannabinoid receptor pharmacology. However, as with the rest of the book, the overall perspective is highly focused on the existence and quantification of mediators, not their primary pharmacological functions. Each chapter is written so that it can stand alone; since this is done well, there is some degree of redundancy of information across many of the chapters.
Assessment: This is a high quality, high-level collection with a very restricted, focused view on defining the chemical nature of signaling mediators relevant to the function of the endocannabinoid system. The strength of the book is its consistent and novel focus on the breadth of possible mediators and the perspective that they form a targetable endocannabinoidome. The "omics" described in this book are limited to definitions based on chemical separation techniques, though; not on the interpretation of changing patterns of those mediators in health and disease. Ultimately, much more information will need to be gathered before the "endocannabinoidome" defined here can convey meaningful interpretations and direction within the discipline.

Doody's Review Service