The active component of the marijuana plant Cannabis sativa, Delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), produces numerous beneficial effects, including analgesia, appetite stimulation and nausea reduction, in addition to its psychotropic effects. THC mimics the action of endogenous fatty acid derivatives, referred to as endocannabinoids. The effects of THC and the endocannabinoids are mediated largely by metabotropic receptors that are distributed throughout the nervous and peripheral organ systems. There is great interest in endocannabinoids for their role in neuroplasticity as well as for therapeutic use in numerous conditions, including pain, stroke, cancer, obesity, osteoporosis, fertility, neurodegenerative diseases, multiple sclerosis, glaucoma and inflammatory diseases, among others. However, there has been relatively far less research on this topic in the eye and retina compared with the brain and other organ systems. The purpose of this review is to introduce the "cannabinergic" field to the retinal community. All of the fundamental works on cannabinoids have been performed in non-retinal preparations, necessitating extensive dependence on this literature for background. Happily, the retinal cannabinoid system has much in common with other regions of the central nervous system. For example, there is general agreement that cannabinoids suppress dopamine release and presynaptically reduce transmitter release from cones and bipolar cells. How these effects relate to light and dark adaptations, receptive field formation, temporal properties of ganglion cells or visual perception are unknown. The presence of multiple endocannabinoids, degradative enzymes with their bioactive metabolites, and receptors provides a broad spectrum of opportunities for basic research and to identify targets for therapeutic application to retinal diseases.

中文翻译：

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视网膜中的内源性大麻素：从大麻到神经保护。

大麻植物 Cannabis sativa 的活性成分 Delta9-四氢大麻酚 (THC) 除了其精神作用外，还产生许多有益作用，包括镇痛、刺激食欲和减少恶心。THC 模仿内源性脂肪酸衍生物（称为内源性大麻素）的作用。THC 和内源性大麻素的作用主要由分布于整个神经和外周器官系统的代谢型受体介导。内源性大麻素在神经可塑性中的作用以及在许多疾病中的治疗用途引起了极大的兴趣，包括疼痛、中风、癌症、肥胖症、骨质疏松症、生育能力、神经退行性疾病、多发性硬化症、青光眼和炎症性疾病等。然而，与大脑和其他器官系统相比，眼睛和视网膜中关于这个主题的研究相对较少。这篇综述的目的是向视网膜社区介绍“大麻素”领域。所有关于大麻素的基础工作都是在非视网膜制剂中进行的，因此需要广泛依赖这些文献作为背景。令人高兴的是，视网膜大麻素系统与中枢神经系统的其他区域有很多共同之处。例如，人们普遍认为大麻素抑制多巴胺释放并在突触前减少锥体和双极细胞的递质释放。这些影响如何与光和暗适应、感受野形成、神经节细胞的时间特性或视觉感知相关是未知的。