Scientists found the mechanism of the excitement of marijuana

Finding out the structure of receptors in the brain that can interact with marijuana, scientists say they have come closer to giving the correct answer to the question of why marijuana makes us feel see excitement. This finding will help us use marijuana more reasonably for medical purposes, while solving the mysteries behind why synthetic marijuana is so dangerous, while natural marijuana it is not capable of killing people.

People will often fall into "drug intoxication " when an ingredient in marijuana is known as Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) linked to a receptor called cannabinoid 1 (CB1) . The reason CB1 is concerned is because it is the key to holding the answer to how marijuana works and its effects.

Several years ago, officials in Europe had approved a drug called rimonabant , which had an appetite suppressive effect by blocking CB1. The problem is that this drug has unwanted side effects, causing people to be depressed and anxious. Finally, rimonabant was forced to be recalled. If we can add more knowledge about CB1, we will not let that happen anymore. Therefore, scientists have developed a special molecule capable of closing the said receptor band long enough to be able to observe its molecular structure.

Synthetic marijuana is very dangerous, while natural marijuana is not capable of killing people.

They then used computers to simulate how THC and other molecules interact with receptors. Understanding the structure of receptors will lay a solid foundation for cannabis research as well as its future side effects.

Imagine receptors are like a control panel, Professor Zhi-Jie Liu, co-author of research, a molecular biologist at ShanghaiTech University (China), said. It plays a role in connecting with the lines that can help us reduce pain, suppress appetite, or depression. If you don't know how these lines work, you're at risk of unwanted side effects.

In addition, lack of knowledge about these connections is also potentially life-threatening after using synthetic marijuana like K2 and Spice. Synthetic marijuana includes a variety of artificial chemicals that interact with CB1. It is said to have a similar effect to marijuana, but is much more dangerous. However, not knowing how CB1 works, it's hard to find out why there is such a difference.

Meanwhile, studying CB1 receptors is also not easy because they move quite a lot. All receptors in our bodies are bound together by internal and external forces, Raymond Stevens, a chemist at the University of Southern California (USA), said.

To study each individual receptor, scientists have to separate it from the natural environment with a variety of chemicals. But these chemicals can destroy the structure of proteins, which means we won't know what it looks like."This is one of the most difficult receptors to study , " Stevens said. "This is quite surprising because CB1 is so popular."

Synthetic marijuana includes a variety of artificial chemicals that interact with CB1.

Facing these challenges, co-author Professor Alexandros Makriyannis created a breakthrough when successfully developing a molecule that could freeze CB1 long enough for scientists to understand the structure its. At that time, the experts were really surprised by what they observed. The receptor has a special position so that other molecules can interact to turn on / off its operability, called "active area".

"What's interesting here is that the active region has a lot of openings, and lots of different areas within it," Makriyannis said. "We don't think it can be so complicated." This may be the reason why these receptors are unstable, and also means that many different types of molecules can reside within it. Being aware of this will provide an opportunity to design molecules and drugs with specific functions, such as suppressing appetite without causing depression.

Finally, using computers, researchers have simulated how CB1 interacts with molecules like THC. This simulation is considered an important process, according to Pal Pacher, senior investigator at the US National Institutes of Health, who did not participate in the study. However, only simulating on computers is not enough to prove in fact that molecules also interact with each other, so more research is needed on this issue in the future.