CBD and TRPV1
Heat and chili pepper sensor · ion channel.
Heat and chili pepper sensor · ion channel. Where this target is found in the body, lab findings on CBD, the strength of evidence and the molecular structure, with sources.
CBD's other targetsStructure: PDB 8GF8Last updated:
What's on this page?
Interactive 3D · real anatomy and real data
Where in your body are the cannabinoid receptors?
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Regions
How to read it Choose a region, or tap a glowing point on the map.
- Solid light is the CB1 receptor, a ring is CB2. Each region has its own color; the color only tells regions apart.
- The strength of the light is the receptor gene level measured in human tissue (Human Protein Atlas). That is why the liver’s point is dim: a healthy liver has few receptors.
- With the layer selector above you can also see other receptors, the enzymes that make and break down endocannabinoids, and the liver enzymes that break down CBD and THC.
- Every piece of information shows its source and the type of evidence (human, animal, cell). You can change the reading level above.
- Drag to rotate. Use the + and − buttons to zoom; on a computer, Ctrl or ⌘ with the scroll wheel, on a phone, two fingers.
Where is it, and what does it do?
TRPV1 is the ion channel that responds to capsaicin, the substance that makes chili peppers burn. It is found in sensory nerve cells that carry pain; it opens with capsaicin, with acid and with temperatures above about 43 °C. In other words, it is the body's "burning heat" sensor. Caterina 1997Cell / labAnimalCaterina 1999Cell / labAnimal
Findings on CBD
In the lab, CBD opened this channel: in cells carrying human TRPV1, half of the effect was seen at 3.2–3.5 µM, and its maximum effect was close to that of capsaicin. At 10 µM, it desensitized the channel to capsaicin; that is, it first opened the channel and then silenced it. In human colon tissue removed during surgery, the anti-inflammatory effect of CBD disappeared with a substance that blocks TRPV1 (in tissue in the lab, not in living people). Bisogno 2001Cell / labIannotti 2014aCell / labAnimalCouch 2017Human tissueCell / lab
Student level: experiments and numbers
Bisogno 2001: in cells overexpressing human VR1 (TRPV1), CBD stimulated a rise in cytosolic Ca²⁺ with EC50 = 3.2–3.5 µM; maximum effect 67–70% of the ionomycin response; 10 µM CBD desensitized the channel to capsaicin. Iannotti 2014: patch-clamp in HEK293 cells transfected with TRPV1; CBD and CBDV activated the channel in a dose-dependent manner and rapidly desensitized it (also at TRPV2 and TRPA1). Couch 2017: in human colon explants, CBD (10 µM) reduced phosphoprotein and cytokine responses; the effect was blocked by the CB2 antagonist AM630 and the TRPV1 antagonist SB366791. Bisogno 2001Cell / labIannotti 2014aCell / labAnimalCouch 2017Human tissueCell / lab
Expert level: method notes
Method note
Bisogno 2001: in the same paper, anandamide uptake IC50 22.0 µM, hydrolysis in rat brain membranes IC50 27.5 µM ("weak"). Iannotti 2014: in the Mg²⁺-free hippocampal slice model, the effect of CBDV was not reversed by the selective TRPV1 antagonist IRTX; the effect in that model is not via TRPV1 alone. Couch 2017: no cytokine effect in Caco-2 culture, only in explant tissue. Bisogno 2001Cell / labIannotti 2014aCell / labAnimalCouch 2017Human tissueCell / lab
Structure: Human TRPV1 in a nanodisc, cryo-EM 2.9 Å. No CBD-bound structure exists. Neuberger 2023Molecular structure (lab)PDB 8GF8Molecular structure (lab) RCSB PDB 8GF8
How lab concentrations compare with the level measured in blood, and CBD's other targets: CBD's other targets.
Identifiers and citation
- Protein
- Transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily V member 1 (gene TRPV1, human; UniProt Q8NER1)
- Structure
- RCSB PDB 8GF8: Human TRPV1 in a nanodisc, cryo-EM 2.9 Å. No CBD-bound structure exists.
How to cite: cbd.school editorial team. CBD and TRPV1. Endocannabinoid system 3D map, cbd.school. Last updated October 24, 2026. https://cbd.school/learn/endocannabinoid-system-map/hedefler/trpv1/
Protein structure from RCSB PDB (CC0 1.0). The map, text and downloaded images are CC BY-SA 4.0. An independent expert review has not been done yet. All licenses
Other pages of the map
Overview: what the endocannabinoid system is, the feedback brake at the synapse, CBD's targets, lesson mode, data and licenses.
Sources
Show 7 references
- Caterina MJ, Schumacher MA, Tominaga M et al. The capsaicin receptor: a heat-activated ion channel in the pain pathway. Nature. 1997;389(6653):816-24. PMID 9349813 · doi:10.1038/39807 Cell / labAnimal
- Caterina MJ, Rosen TA, Tominaga M, Brake AJ, Julius D. A capsaicin-receptor homologue with a high threshold for noxious heat. Nature. 1999;398(6726):436-41. PMID 10201375 · doi:10.1038/18906 Cell / labAnimal
- Bisogno T, Hanus L, De Petrocellis L et al. Molecular targets for cannabidiol and its synthetic analogues: effect on vanilloid VR1 receptors and on the cellular uptake and enzymatic hydrolysis of anandamide. Br J Pharmacol. 2001;134(4):845-52. PMID 11606325 · doi:10.1038/sj.bjp.0704327 Cell / lab
- Iannotti FA, Hill CL, Leo A et al. Nonpsychotropic plant cannabinoids, cannabidivarin (CBDV) and cannabidiol (CBD), activate and desensitize transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) channels in vitro: potential for the treatment of neuronal hyperexcitability. ACS Chem Neurosci. 2014;5(11):1131-41. PMID 25029033 · doi:10.1021/cn5000524 Cell / labAnimal
- Couch DG, Tasker C, Theophilidou E et al. Cannabidiol and palmitoylethanolamide are anti-inflammatory in the acutely inflamed human colon. Clin Sci (Lond). 2017;131(21):2611-2626. PMID 28954820 · doi:10.1042/CS20171288 Human tissueCell / lab
- Neuberger A, Oda M, Nikolaev YA et al. Human TRPV1 structure and inhibition by the analgesic SB-366791. Nat Commun. 2023;14(1):2451. PMID 37117175 · doi:10.1038/s41467-023-38162-9 Molecular structure (lab)
- RCSB Protein Data Bank, girdi 8GF8: Cryo-EM structure of human TRPV1 in cNW11 nanodisc and soybean lipids (kriyo-EM, 2,9 Å). doi:10.2210/pdb8GF8/pdb. PDB verisi CC0 1.0. · doi:10.2210/pdb8GF8/pdb Molecular structure (lab)