BDNF and major depressive disorder: However, while the anxiolytic, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory effects of beta-caryophyllene were mediated by both peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-alpha and the cannabinoid type 2 receptor (CB2R), the effects on glycemia, depression-like behavior, and memory enhancement appeared to be CB2R-dependent and mediated by an increase of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a neurotrophin that promotes synaptogenesis whose levels and activity are reduced in depressed individuals and are enhanced by antidepressants [29].