Endocannabinoids and reactive nitrogen and oxygen species in neuropathologies.

Neuropathologies that affect our population include ischemic stroke and neurodegenerative diseases of immune origin, including multiple sclerosis. The endocannabinoid system in the brain, including agonists anandamide (arachidonyl ethanolamide) and 2-arachidonoylglycerol, and the CB1 and CB2 cannabinoid receptors, has been implicated in the pathophysiology of these disease states, and can be a target for therapeutic interventions. This review concentrates on cellular signal transduction pathways believed to be involved in the cellular damage.