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Daniele Piomelli - UC Irvine. Irvine, CA, US

Daniele Piomelli

Distinguished Professor | UC Irvine

Irvine, CA, UNITED STATES

Daniele Piomelli's research is focused on the function of lipid-derived messengers, with particular emphasis on endogenous cannabinoids.

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Daniele Piomelli - Cannabis Science and Research Welcome Remarks by Professor Daniele Piomelli

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Biography

Dr. Piomelli was trained in neuroscience and pharmacology. Research in his lab is focused on the function of lipid-derived messengers, with particular emphasis on the endogenous cannabinoids anandamide and 2-arachidonoylglycerol. Current research efforts converge on three areas: formation and deactivation of anandamide and 2-arachidonylglycerol; physiological roles of the endogenous cannabinoid system; development of therapeutic agents that target anandamide and 2-arachidonylglycerol metabolism.

Primary neural cell cultures and state-of-the-art analytical techniques such as liquid chromatography/mass-spectrometry are used to investigate formation and deactivation of anandamide and 2-arachidonoylglycerol in brain cells. Protein purification and cloning approaches are employed to characterize the molecular mechanisms underlying these processes. Cellular pharmacology and medicinal chemistry, in collaboration with leading international labs, are used to identify pharmacological agents that interfere with various aspects of endogenous cannabinoid function, and their therapeutic potential is explored in vitro and in vivo.

Areas of Expertise (5)

Anatomy & Neurobiology

Cellular Pharmacology

CBD

Marijuana

Neuropharmacology

Accomplishments (4)

The Ester Fride Award for Basic Research (professional)

2017 The International Association for Cannabinoid Medicines

The Mechoulam Award (professional)

2017 The International Cannabinoid Research Society

Avant-Garde Award for Innovative Medication Development Research (professional)

2010 National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

European Lipid Science Award (professional)

2012 European Federation of Lipid Science

Education (1)

Columbia University: PhD, Pharmacology 1988

Affiliations (7)

  • American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) : Member
  • American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP) : Member
  • American Physiological Society (APS) : Member
  • American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biolology (ASBMB) : Member
  • American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (ASPET) : Member
  • International Cannabinoid Research Society (ICRS) : Member
  • Society of Biological Psychiatry (SBP) : Member

Media Appearances (13)

Are Edibles Safer Than Smoking? New Study Sheds Light on Cannabis and Heart Problems

Verywell Health  online

2024-03-07

“Cannabis edibles do not irritate bronchi and lungs and do not cause chronic cough and phlegm production, two of the most common effects of smoking cannabis on a regular basis,” said Daniele Piomelli, PhD, director of the UCI Center for the Study of Cannabis …. Since dosing is a guessing game with edibles, it’s easier to overdose with edibles than with smoked cannabis, Piomelli said. … “Experienced adults should make sure they don’t exceed a dose they know they can handle.”

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Heavy cannabis use increases risk of developing an anxiety disorder, study suggests

Medical News Today  online

2024-02-08

Daniele Piomelli, PhD, the director of the UC Irvine Center for the Study of Cannabis in California who wasn’t involved in the study, told Medical News Today that the effects of cannabis on people has never been a one-size-fits-all proposition. “Cannabis can have both anti-anxiety and pro-anxiety effects, depending on dose, [and] experience with the drug,” Piomelli said. “We have known about these dual action for a long time. The anti-anxiety effect is rooted in the protective functions of the endocannabinoid system, which is exquisitely involved in coping with stress and curbing anxiety. But we still do not understand how cannabis can cause anxiety in vulnerable individuals.”

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10 Best CBD Gummies Of February 2024

Forbes  online

2024-02-02

Once absorbed, CBD interacts with cannabinoid receptors that are part of the endocannabinoid system. “Endocannabinoids are chemical messengers that play a variety of roles in the body,” explains Daniele Piomelli, Ph.D., the director of the Institute for the Study of Cannabis at the University of California, Irvine and an anatomy and neurobiology professor at the university’s medical school. “They work by binding to receptors present on the surface of neurons and many other cells. When bound to endocannabinoids, these receptors regulate appetite, pain, memory, the response to stress and the ability to store fat (among other things).”

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Best CBD Oil For Pain Of 2024

Forbes Health  online

2024-01-24

Limited research explores the efficacy of CBD for pain, explains Daniele Piomelli, Ph.D., the director of the Institute for the Study of Cannabis and a professor in the Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology in the School of Medicine at the University of California, Irvine. … Before taking CBD oil, weigh the potential risks and benefits, and consider your personal health situation and treatment objectives, recommends Dr. Piomelli … [and he] recommends anyone considering CBD to consult with their health care provider.

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CBD Oil For Sleep: Top MDs Explain How It Works and When To Take It For Best Results

First for Women  online

2023-11-23

“Cannabis contains about 140 different compounds,” adds Daniele Piomelli, PhD, Director of the University of California, Irvine’s (UCI) Center for the Study of Cannabis. “The most famous is THC, which causes the ‘high’ in people who use marijuana. But CBD doesn’t have such an effect and isn’t intoxicating at all.”

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Health Benefits Of Cannabis, According To Experts

Forbes  online

2023-09-07

THC is the compound that gives cannabis its reputation as an intoxicatingly psychoactive drug because of the feelings of euphoria, decreased anxiety, and increased relaxation it elicits. THC and other cannabinoids found in cannabis plants can have psychoactive effects on the human body due to how they interact with the endocannabinoid system, which regulates pain, appetite and the response to stress, says Daniele Piomelli, Ph.D., director of the Center for the Study of Cannabis [and professor of anatomy & neurobiology] at the University of California, Irvine.

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The U.S. has a chance to regulate delta-8 THC. Will it?

NBC News  online

2023-09-05

Safety concerns aren’t related to delta-8 THC itself — which weakly activates the same receptors in the body as delta-9 THC — but rather the other substances, such as chemicals or heavy metals, that unregulated delta-8 THC products may contain. There is also no federal age requirement to buy them. “That is the highest-priority problem in my mind,” said Daniele Piomelli, the director of the University of California, Irvine Center for the Study of Cannabis. “It’s paradoxical that legislation that is meant to protect public health ultimately has created these loopholes that now jeopardize public health.”

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FDA widens door to research on psychedelics like ketamine, LSD for treatment of PTSD, depression

Daily Pilot  online

2023-07-08

“We have anti-depressants that work in 30% of the patients with major depression fairly well,” Daniele Piomelli [professor of anatomy & neurobiology], neuroscientist and director of UC Irvine’s Center for the Study of Cannabis said during an interview Thursday. “They work OK in another 30% of the patients, and don’t work at all in the last third of the patients. With conditions like depression, we’re talking about millions of people in the United States.” Anti-depressants are even less effective at helping people handle PTSD, but are practically the only form of medication prescribed for its treatment, Piomelli said.

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Using Cannabis Can Help You Lose Weight – But It Comes With Steep Consequences

SciTechDaily  online

2023-06-30

“All too often we think of cannabis only as a psychoactive drug,” said Daniele Piomelli, PhD, director for the UCI Center for the Study of Cannabis, the Louise Turner Arnold Chair in the Neurosciences, and professor in the UCI School of Medicine Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology, “But, its effects extend well beyond the brain. Its main constituent, THC, mimics a group of chemical messengers called endocannabinoids, which regulate important functions throughout the body. Our results show that interfering with endocannabinoid signaling during adolescence disrupts adipose organ function in a permanent way, with potentially far-reaching consequences on physical and mental health.”

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CBD Water: What It Is, Its Benefits And Where To Buy It

Forbes Health  online

2023-06-27

CBD water is exactly what it sounds like: water with a small amount of CBD added to it, according to Daniele Piomelli, Ph.D., the director of the Institute for the Study of Cannabis at the University of California, Irvine and an anatomy and neurobiology professor at the university’s medical school. … Clinical research on CBD water specifically is incredibly limited, says Dr. Piomelli, which makes it difficult for consumers to determine the exact benefits and risks of consuming it. … “Since CBD water typically contains so little CBD (about 10 milligrams), CBD water is unlikely to have any benefit,” he says.

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Eat, Vape, or Flame, Which Medical Cannabis Method is Right for You?

Cannabis & Tech Today  online

2023-06-23

Professor Daniele Piomelli, the director of and a researcher with California-based UCI Center for the Study of Cannabis, says the impacts of medical marijuana on a patient “depends on the individual and what they are using the cannabis for.” There are three primary cannabis modalities: smoking, vaping, and all manner of edibles. They differ not only in the method of ingestion but also, “the THC is different in each product,” Piomelli noted. … No matter a patient’s age, medical conditions, and other considerations, the safe use of medical cannabis is of paramount importance. “We are talking about a strong drug, and it must be treated with respect,” Piomelli warned.

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Frequent marijuana users tend to be leaner and less likely to develop diabetes. But the pseudo-health benefits come at a price, experts say

Fortune  online

2023-06-03

The stereotypical cannabis connoisseur perpetually has the munchies but is, paradoxically, perplexingly thin. Now researchers at the University of California, Irvine, think they know why—and no, pot consumption isn’t the secret to a svelte figure. … “All too often we think of cannabis only as a psychoactive drug,” said Daniele Piomelli—one of the study’s authors, director for the university’s Center for the Study of Cannabis, and professor in its School of Medicine Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology …. “But its effects extend well beyond the brain.”

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New research may explain why, despite 'the munchies,' frequent cannabis users are leaner than non-users

Medical Xpress  online

2023-06-01

Despite getting "the munchies," people who frequently use cannabis are leaner and less prone to diabetes than those who don't. University of California, Irvine researchers have now uncovered a possible explanation for this paradox—and it's not good news. The findings are reported in a new study titled, "Adolescent exposure to low-dose THC disrupts energy balance and adipose organ homeostasis in adulthood," published today in Cell Metabolism. … "All too often we think of cannabis only as a psychoactive drug," said Daniele Piomelli, Ph.D., director for the UCI Center for the Study of Cannabis, the Louise Turner Arnold Chair in the Neurosciences, and professor in the UCI School of Medicine Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology, "But, its effects extend well beyond the brain.”

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Articles (6)

Cannabinoid CB 2 Receptors Mediate the Anxiolytic-Like Effects of Monoacylglycerol Lipase Inhibition in a Rat Model of Predator-Induced Fear

Neuropsychopharmacology

2020 The endocannabinoid system is a key regulator of the response to psychological stress. Inhibitors of monoacylglycerol lipase (MGL), the enzyme that deactivates the endocannabinoid 2-arachidonoyl-sn-glycerol (2-AG), exert anxiolytic-like effects in rodent models via 2-AG-dependent activation of CB1 cannabinoid receptors.

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Comparative Pharmacokinetics of Δ 9-Tetrahydrocannabinol in Adolescent and Adult Male Mice

J Pharmacol Exp Ther.

2020 We investigated the pharmacokinetic properties of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC), the main psychoactive constituent of cannabis, in adolescent and adult male mice. The drug was administered at logarithmically ascending doses (0.5, 1.6, and 5 mg/kg, i.p.) to pubertal adolescent (37-day-old) and adult (70-day-old) mice.

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N-Acylethanolamine Acid Amidase (NAAA): Structure, Function, and Inhibition

J Med Chem

2020 N-Acylethanolamine acid amidase (NAAA) is an N-terminal cysteine hydrolase primarily found in the endosomal-lysosomal compartment of innate and adaptive immune cells. NAAA catalyzes the hydrolytic deactivation of palmitoylethanolamide (PEA), a lipid-derived peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-α (PPAR-α) agonist that exerts profound anti-inflammatory effects in animal models.

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Inhibition of Fatty Acid Amide Hydrolase in the CNS Prevents and Reverses Morphine Tolerance in Male and Female Mice

Br J Pharmacol

2020 Fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) is an intracellular serine amidase that terminates the signalling of various lipid messengers involved in pain regulation, including anandamide and palmitoylethanolamide. Here, we investigated the effects of pharmacological or genetic FAAH removal on tolerance to the anti-nociceptive effects of morphine.

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Benzisothiazolinone Derivatives as Potent Allosteric Monoacylglycerol Lipase Inhibitors That Functionally Mimic Sulfenylation of Regulatory Cysteines

J Med Chem

2020 We describe a set of benzisothiazolinone (BTZ) derivatives that are potent inhibitors of monoacylglycerol lipase (MGL), the primary degrading enzyme for the endocannabinoid 2-arachidonoyl-sn-glycerol (2-AG). Structure-activity relationship studies evaluated various substitutions on the nitrogen atom and the benzene ring of the BTZ nucleus. Optimized derivatives with nanomolar potency allowed us to investigate the mechanism of MGL inhibition.

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Next Stop for Fatty Acid Amide Hydrolase Inhibitors, the Clinic?

Biol Psychiatry

2020

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