Serum contents of endocannabinoids are correlated with blood pressure in depressed women. Lipids Health Dis 2012 Feb 28;11:32
Date
03/01/2012Pubmed ID
22373123Pubmed Central ID
PMC3334711DOI
10.1186/1476-511X-11-32Scopus ID
2-s2.0-84857410633 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 33 CitationsAbstract
BACKGROUND: Depression is known to be a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Since recent preclinical evidence suggests that endogenous agonists of cannabinoid receptors (endocannabinoids) are involved in both cardiovascular function and depression, we asked whether endocannabinoids correlated with either in humans.
RESULTS: Resting blood pressure and serum content of endocannabinoids in ambulatory, medication-free, female volunteers with depression (n = 28) and their age- and ethnicity-matched controls (n = 27) were measured. In females with depression, both diastolic and mean arterial blood pressures were positively correlated with serum contents of the endocannabinoids, N-arachidonylethanolamine (anandamide) and 2-arachidonoylglycerol. There was no correlation between blood pressure and endocannabinoids in control subjects. Furthermore, depressed women had significantly higher systolic blood pressure than control subjects. A larger body mass index was also found in depressed women, however, it was not significantly correlated with serum endocannabinoid contents.
CONCLUSIONS: This preliminary study raises the possibility that endocannabinoids play a role in blood pressure regulation in depressives with higher blood pressure, and suggests an interrelationship among endocannabinoids, depression and cardiovascular risk factors in women.
Author List
Ho WS, Hill MN, Miller GE, Gorzalka BB, Hillard CJAuthor
Cecilia J. Hillard PhD Associate Dean, Center Director, Professor in the Pharmacology and Toxicology department at Medical College of WisconsinMESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
AdultBiomarkers
Blood Pressure
Cannabinoid Receptor Modulators
Case-Control Studies
Depression
Endocannabinoids
Female
Humans
