The ocular endocannabinoid system: Pharmacology of an endogenous lipid signaling system.

Increased pressure in the eye is a major risk factor in glaucoma, an age-related blinding eye disease that results in death of neurons in the retina, the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye. Abnormal blood flow and inflammatory responses in the eye may also contribute to glaucoma. Our research is examining drugs that target the ocular endocannabinoid system. This important biological system regulates key processes in the body, including blood flow and inflammation. Evidence suggests that the endocannabinoid system is part of the body's autoprotective machinery, with increases in the activity of this system acting to reduce tissue damage. Cannabinoid drugs, which include naturally occurring chemical constituents of the cannabis plant and their synthetic derivatives, act on components of the endocannabinoid system. Cannabinoids are able to reduce eye pressure and may have additional beneficial effects on ocular blood flow, immune responses, and neuronal survival. These chemicals mimic the actions of natural compounds found in the eye called endocannabinoids. We want to determine how cannabinoids and endocannabinoids work in the eye and whether the ocular endocannabinoid system constitutes a therapeutic target in the treatment of glaucoma and eye disease.