CB1 & CB2 RECEPTORS
Cannabinoid Receptors
Cannabinoids, as well as their cousins terpenes, are simply the chemicals that insert themselves into special receptors in the tissues and cells of the human body. They are among more than 480 natural components found within the cannabis plant. These special receptors are part of what is known as the endocannabinoid system. This mechanism helps modulate many bodily functions which nclude appetite, sleep, anxiety level, and cognition. It is intimately tied to the nervous and immune systems.
Particular cannabinoids target specific types of receptors located on the surface of cells in different areas of the body. This targeting is formally called a binding affinity.
Molecules like CBD activate particular cannabinoid receptors. These receptors, called CB1 and CB2, work like a lock and key when flooded with cannabinoids, The endocannabinoid system produces its own cannabinoids. This is the reason it exists. Additional cannabinoids provides supplemental binding.
The CB1 receptor was discovered in 1990, while CB2 was uncovered shortly thereafter in 1993 by a research group at Cambridge University. The CB2 receptors are mainly found on white blood cells, in the tonsils and in the spleen. The immune cells also express CB1, although there are fewer of them than CB2. In the immune system, one important function of the cannabinoid receptors is the regulation of cytokine release. Stimulation of the CB1 receptor produces marijuana-like effects on the psyche and circulation, while no such effect is seen when the CB2 receptor is activated. Therefore, selective CB2 receptor agonists like CBD have become increasingly popular subjects of research for their potential anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer effects.