抄録
Cannabis sativa L. is an annual dioecious plant belonging to the Cannabaceae family that has been cultivated for thousands of years. Research on cannabinoids started in the 1940s, and more than 100 cannabinoids have been structurally elucidated recently. Among these cannabinoids, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) are the major active components in marijuana, and they have already been approved as drugs in the United States and Europe. The mechanisms of THC and CBD-related anti-dementia activities, including animal experiments and clinical studies, have been reported, resulting in the possibility that THC and CBD could be therapeutic and preventive drugs for Alzheimer's disease. As medical marijuana continues to spread around the world and CBD has been imported freely to Japan and used in fields as wide as food and cosmetics, it will be debated whether CBD is a product of Cannabis or not. For these reasons, we recommend that the Cannabis Control Law and related regulations be corrected at an early stage. As the number of marijuana users in the world increases, the negative effects of marijuana use, especially for young people, are discussed in detail. Recently it has become evident from epidemiological studies that marijuana use later induces psychosis. The biosynthetic pathway has been described, including purification and isolation of the biosynthetic enzyme, followed by cloning, expression of the enzyme protein, crystallization, and X-ray analysis of the THCA synthase protein. The biosynthetic mechanism of THCA synthase relating to a flavo-enzyme was confirmed, showing that this enzyme can perform the redox reaction independently. Regarding the metabolic pathway of THC, anti-THCA monoclonal antibody (MAb) having a wide range of affinities functioned to efficiently isolate metabolites, elucidate their structures, and clarify their metabolic pathways.
