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Cannabinoid Receptors Present in Equine Nerve Cells

The use of medical marijuana and cannabinoid creams and ointments are gaining popularity in human medicine for their abilities to help alleviate some pain. The same might someday be true for horses.

Researchers found cannabinoid receptors are present in the sensory neurons and glial cells of the dorsal root ganglia, which could be relevant for future functional studies assessing the effects of cannabinoids in horses to manage pain.

A study out of Italy investigated the expression and location of cannabinoid receptors in the dorsal root ganglia, which could be a therapeutic target for pain.

The cervical (C6-C8) dorsal root ganglia were collected from 6 horses (1.5 years old) at an abattoir and processed to obtain cryosections. Immunohistochemistry was used to localize the cellular distribution of cannabinoid receptors 1 (CB1R) and 2 (CB2R), and 3 other putative cannabinoid-related receptors: nuclear peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARα), transient receptor potential ankyrin 1 (TRPA1) and serotonin 5-HT1a receptor (5-HT1aR).

Cannabinoid and cannabinoid-re lated receptors were widely distributed in the sensory neurons and satellite glial cells of the dorsal root ganglia. The neurons showed immunoreactivity for CB1R (100%), CB2R (80±13%), PPARα (100%), TRPA1 (74±10%) and 5-HT1aR (84±6%). The neuronal satellite glial cells showed immunoreactivity for CB2R, PPARα, TRPA1 and 5-HT1aR.

For more information:

Chiocchetti R, Rinnovati R, Tagliavia C, et al. Localisation of cannabinoid and cannabinoid-related receptors in the equine dorsal root ganglia. Equine Vet J. 2020 Jun 11 [Epub ahead of print]. https://beva.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/ doi/10.1111/evj.13305