Endogenous lipids that activate cannabinoid receptors. Formation and inactivation.

Abstract

The discovery of cannabinoid receptors in brain and in peripheral tissues has prompted the search for endogenous substances with cannabis-like properties. This search has led to the isolation of a lipid derivative, N-arachidonoylethanolamine (anandamide), which mimics the psychoactive effects of plant-derived and synthetic cannabinoids (Devane et al., 1992). Like Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol, the active principle of Cannabis, anandamide binds with high affinity to cannabinoid CB1-type receptors, inhibits the twitch response in mouse vas deferens, and modulates the activities of adenylyl cyclase and voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels in neuroblastoma cells. Moreover, when administered in vivo, anandamide produces a series of behavioral responses characteristic of cannabinoid drugs (for review, see Mechoulam et al., 1994).KeywordsPhosphatidic AcidPhosphatidic AcidBioactive LipidEndogenous LipidBrain AstrocyteThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.