FIGURE 1

A schematic diagram of established and putative interactions between cannabinoids, platelets and the endothelium. (1) The ability of THC to increase expression of glycoprotein (GP) IIb–IIIa (Deusch et al., 2004); (2) the positive interactions between 2-AG and 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) (Maccarrone et al., 2001a, 2003); (3) endothelial release of 2-AG (Mechoulam et al., 1998; Maccarrone et al., 2002); (4) the production and release of 2-AG from platelets (Maccarrone et al., 2001a; (5) the increased production of 2-AG in endotoxic shock (Varga et al., 1998); (6) endothelium-dependent metabolism of endocannabinoids (Ho and Randall, 2007); (7) metabolism of endocannabinoids by platelets (Edgemond et al., 1998; Maccarrone et al., 1999, 2001a). 2-AG, 2-arachidonoylglycerol; THC, -9-tetrahydrocannabinol.