pharmaceuticals Review Endocannabinoids in Body Weight Control Henrike Horn †, Beatrice Böhme †, Laura Dietrich and Marco Koch * Institute of Anatomy, Medical Faculty, University of Leipzig, 04103 Leipzig, Germany;
[email protected] (H.H.);
[email protected] (B.B.);
[email protected] (L.D.) * Correspondence:
[email protected]; Tel.: +49-341-97-22047 † These authors contributed equally. Received: 28 April 2018; Accepted: 28 May 2018; Published: 30 May 2018 Abstract: Maintenance of body weight is fundamental to maintain one’s health and to promote longevity. Nevertheless, it appears that the global obesity epidemic is still constantly increasing. Endocannabinoids (eCBs) are lipid messengers that are involved in overall body weight control by interfering with manifold central and peripheral regulatory circuits that orchestrate energy homeostasis. Initially, blocking of eCB signaling by first generation cannabinoid type 1 receptor (CB1) inverse agonists such as rimonabant revealed body weight-reducing effects in laboratory animals and men. Unfortunately, rimonabant also induced severe psychiatric side effects. At this point, it became clear that future cannabinoid research has to decipher more precisely the underlying central and peripheral mechanisms behind eCB-driven control of feeding behavior and whole body energy metabolism. Here, we will summarize the most recent advances in understanding how central eCBs interfere with circuits in the brain that control food intake and