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Physiology

A hunger for cannabinoids

Nature volume 410, pages 763–765 (2001)Cite this article

Cannabinoids — molecules found naturally in the body, as well as in cannabis — stimulate appetite. Leptin, a hormone produced by body fat, decreases appetite. The effects of these molecules have now been linked.

The hormone leptin and neurotransmitter molecules called cannabinoids both have effects on appetite, but do they work together or separately? Writing on page 822 of this issue1, Di Marzo and colleagues provide an answer. They show that — at least in rodents — leptin modifies the levels of cannabinoids found naturally in the body (endocannabinoids), and that endocannabinoids and leptin belong to a common system that regulates body weight.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Natural Products, Medical Faculty, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, 91120, Israel

    Raphael Mechoulam

  2. Department of Behavioural Sciences, College of Judea and Samaria, Ariel, 88437, Israel

    Ester Fride

Authors
  1. Raphael Mechoulam
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  2. Ester Fride
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Mechoulam , R., Fride, E. A hunger for cannabinoids. Nature 410, 763–765 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1038/35071214

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