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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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
Links (5)
Media Appearances (6)
Up in smoke
Deseret News online
2025-03-02
The endocannabinoid system relies on subtle nudges to modulate stress, appetite, hormones, memory, emotions, sleep, body temperature, pain and the immune system. That sweeping portfolio may in time uncover previously unimaginable treatments for difficult conditions, says UC Irvine’s Daniele Piomelli, who since the early 1990s has been a key player in endocannabinoid system research. Piomelli is a neuroscientist who argues that the brain cannot be considered separately from the body. “The endocannabinoid system works in all these tissues and all these organs,” Piomelli said.
Best CBD Oil For Anxiety And Stress Relief In 2024
Forbes online
2024-06-25
“There is limited clinical evidence for the use of CBD as a treatment for anxiety,” says Daniele Piomelli, Ph.D., director of the Center for the Study of Cannabis at the University of California, Irvine (UCI) and a distinguished professor at the UCI Anatomy and Neurobiology School of Medicine. … Additional clinical trials are necessary to better understand CBD’s effect on anxiety and stress.
Best CBD Gummies Of April 2024
Forbes online
2024-04-02
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).”
10 Best CBD Oils Of 2024
Forbes Health online
2024-04-02
“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).”
Best CBD Gummies Of March 2024
Forbes Health online
2024-03-20
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).”
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.”
Articles (6)
Cannabinoid CB 2 Receptors Mediate the Anxiolytic-Like Effects of Monoacylglycerol Lipase Inhibition in a Rat Model of Predator-Induced Fear
Neuropsychopharmacology2020 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.
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.
N-Acylethanolamine Acid Amidase (NAAA): Structure, Function, and Inhibition
J Med Chem2020 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.
Inhibition of Fatty Acid Amide Hydrolase in the CNS Prevents and Reverses Morphine Tolerance in Male and Female Mice
Br J Pharmacol2020 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.
Benzisothiazolinone Derivatives as Potent Allosteric Monoacylglycerol Lipase Inhibitors That Functionally Mimic Sulfenylation of Regulatory Cysteines
J Med Chem2020 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.
