Système endocannabinoïde et exercice - implications neuro-métaboliques

In humans, acute aerobic exercise, if intense enough, increases plasma concentrations of the endocannabinoid Anandamide (AEA) whereas sn-2-arachidonylglycerol (2-AG) remains stable. From several in vitro and animal studies, it could be postulated that high AEA levels would rather elicit beneficial metabolic effects in skeletal muscle (e.g. insulin sensitivity, mitochondrial biogenesis) through their action on non-cannabinoid receptors, contrary to the effects of cannabinoid receptors CB1 activation. In case of obesity and hyperglycemia, peripheral CB1 receptors might be overactivated with subsequent metabolic dysfunctions, while exercise training seems to be a promising strategy to reduce CB1 over-expression (e.g. in visceral adipose tissue). At the central level, CB1 activation during exercise and training might have positive effects on neuronal plasticity in hippocampus, rewarding systems in striatum and analgesia in midbrain. Thus, modulating endocannabinoid system activity through exercise manipulations could represent promising strategies for prevention and care of metabolic and neurodegenerative diseases.