Targeting the endocannabinoid system: future therapeutic strategies

• Increased emphasis in recent years on drugs targeting the endocannabinoid system.
• Recent discoveries about the role of the endocannabinoid system are reviewed.
• Drugs able to target the endocannabinoid system are reviewed.
• How to correlate cannabis plants with their therapeutic effectiveness is discussed.
• Cannabinoid–receptor interaction matrix is as necessary tool to develop better drugs.

The endocannabinoid system (ECS) is involved in many physiological regulation pathways in the human body, which makes this system the target of many drugs and therapies. In this review, we highlight the latest studies regarding the role of the ECS and the drugs that target it, with a particular focus on the basis for the discovery of new cannabinoid-based drugs. In addition, we propose some key steps, such as the creation of a cannabinoid–receptor interaction matrix (CRIM) and the use of metabolomics, toward the development of improved and more specific drugs for each relevant disease.

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