Countering the Modern Metabolic Disease Rampage With Ancestral Endocannabinoid System Alignment
When primitive vertebrates evolved from ancestral members of the animal kingdom and acquired complex locomotive and neurological toolsets, a constant supply of energy became necessary for their continued survival. To help fulfill this need, the endocannabinoid (eCB) system transformed drastically wi...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Frontiers Media S.A.
2019-05-01
|
| Series: | Frontiers in Endocrinology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fendo.2019.00311/full |
| _version_ | 1811298078030823424 |
|---|---|
| author | Ian Pepper Aaron Vinik Frank Lattanzio William McPheat Anca Dobrian |
| author_facet | Ian Pepper Aaron Vinik Frank Lattanzio William McPheat Anca Dobrian |
| author_sort | Ian Pepper |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | When primitive vertebrates evolved from ancestral members of the animal kingdom and acquired complex locomotive and neurological toolsets, a constant supply of energy became necessary for their continued survival. To help fulfill this need, the endocannabinoid (eCB) system transformed drastically with the addition of the cannabinoid-1 receptor (CB1R) to its gene repertoire. This established an eCB/CB1R signaling mechanism responsible for governing the whole organism's energy balance, with its activation triggering a shift toward energy intake and storage in the brain and the peripheral organs (i.e., liver and adipose). Although this function was of primal importance for humans during their pre-historic existence as hunter-gatherers, it became expendable following the successive lifestyle shifts of the Agricultural and Industrial Revolutions. Modernization of the world has further increased food availability and decreased energy expenditure, thus shifting the eCB/CB1R system into a state of hyperactive deregulated signaling that contributes to the 21st century metabolic disease pandemic. Studies from the literature supporting this perspective come from a variety of disciplines, including biochemistry, human medicine, evolutionary/comparative biology, anthropology, and developmental biology. Consideration of both biological and cultural evolution justifies the design of improved pharmacological treatments for obesity and Type 2 diabetes (T2D) that focus on peripheral CB1R antagonism. Blockade of peripheral CB1Rs, which universally promote energy conservation across the vertebrate lineage, represents an evolutionary medicine strategy for clinical management of present-day metabolic disorders. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T06:14:27Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-6173c589185644efb739a6cf12346c4d |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-2392 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T06:14:27Z |
| publishDate | 2019-05-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Endocrinology |
| spelling | doaj.art-6173c589185644efb739a6cf12346c4d2022-12-22T02:58:53ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Endocrinology1664-23922019-05-011010.3389/fendo.2019.00311441427Countering the Modern Metabolic Disease Rampage With Ancestral Endocannabinoid System AlignmentIan Pepper0Aaron Vinik1Frank Lattanzio2William McPheat3Anca Dobrian4Department of Physiological Sciences, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, VA, United StatesStrelitz Diabetes Center, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, VA, United StatesDepartment of Physiological Sciences, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, VA, United StatesDepartment of Physiological Sciences, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, VA, United StatesDepartment of Physiological Sciences, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, VA, United StatesWhen primitive vertebrates evolved from ancestral members of the animal kingdom and acquired complex locomotive and neurological toolsets, a constant supply of energy became necessary for their continued survival. To help fulfill this need, the endocannabinoid (eCB) system transformed drastically with the addition of the cannabinoid-1 receptor (CB1R) to its gene repertoire. This established an eCB/CB1R signaling mechanism responsible for governing the whole organism's energy balance, with its activation triggering a shift toward energy intake and storage in the brain and the peripheral organs (i.e., liver and adipose). Although this function was of primal importance for humans during their pre-historic existence as hunter-gatherers, it became expendable following the successive lifestyle shifts of the Agricultural and Industrial Revolutions. Modernization of the world has further increased food availability and decreased energy expenditure, thus shifting the eCB/CB1R system into a state of hyperactive deregulated signaling that contributes to the 21st century metabolic disease pandemic. Studies from the literature supporting this perspective come from a variety of disciplines, including biochemistry, human medicine, evolutionary/comparative biology, anthropology, and developmental biology. Consideration of both biological and cultural evolution justifies the design of improved pharmacological treatments for obesity and Type 2 diabetes (T2D) that focus on peripheral CB1R antagonism. Blockade of peripheral CB1Rs, which universally promote energy conservation across the vertebrate lineage, represents an evolutionary medicine strategy for clinical management of present-day metabolic disorders.https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fendo.2019.00311/fullcannabinoidsevolutionobesityenergy balancetype 2 diabetesNAFLD |
| spellingShingle | Ian Pepper Aaron Vinik Frank Lattanzio William McPheat Anca Dobrian Countering the Modern Metabolic Disease Rampage With Ancestral Endocannabinoid System Alignment Frontiers in Endocrinology cannabinoids evolution obesity energy balance type 2 diabetes NAFLD |
| title | Countering the Modern Metabolic Disease Rampage With Ancestral Endocannabinoid System Alignment |
| title_full | Countering the Modern Metabolic Disease Rampage With Ancestral Endocannabinoid System Alignment |
| title_fullStr | Countering the Modern Metabolic Disease Rampage With Ancestral Endocannabinoid System Alignment |
| title_full_unstemmed | Countering the Modern Metabolic Disease Rampage With Ancestral Endocannabinoid System Alignment |
| title_short | Countering the Modern Metabolic Disease Rampage With Ancestral Endocannabinoid System Alignment |
| title_sort | countering the modern metabolic disease rampage with ancestral endocannabinoid system alignment |
| topic | cannabinoids evolution obesity energy balance type 2 diabetes NAFLD |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fendo.2019.00311/full |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT ianpepper counteringthemodernmetabolicdiseaserampagewithancestralendocannabinoidsystemalignment AT aaronvinik counteringthemodernmetabolicdiseaserampagewithancestralendocannabinoidsystemalignment AT franklattanzio counteringthemodernmetabolicdiseaserampagewithancestralendocannabinoidsystemalignment AT williammcpheat counteringthemodernmetabolicdiseaserampagewithancestralendocannabinoidsystemalignment AT ancadobrian counteringthemodernmetabolicdiseaserampagewithancestralendocannabinoidsystemalignment |