¹School of Medical Science, Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, Scotland, UK

Correspondence: Dr RA Ross, School of Medical Science, Institute of Medical Science, University of Aberdeen, Foresterhill, Aberdeen, Scotland AB25 2ZD, UK. E-mail: r.ross@abdn.ac.uk

Abstract

Cannabinoid CB₁ receptor antagonists are novel therapeutics with potential for the treatment of a number of conditions including obesity, nicotine addition and metabolic syndrome. In 2005, Price et al. demonstrated that the cannabinoid CB₁ receptor contains an allosteric-binding site which binds synthetic small molecules. In this issue of the British Journal of Pharmacology, Horswill et al. have extended these observations. They demonstrate that a structurally similar small molecule allosterically modulates the cannabinoid CB₁ receptor and reduces body weight and food intake in an acute feeding model. Allosteric modulation now contends as a new strategy in the therapeutic exploitation of cannabinoid receptors that may offer certain advantages over the more familiar small molecules targeting the orthosteric site.