The effect of N-stearoylethanolamine on free amino acid levels in plasma and liver of rats with an experimental burn

Abstract

The effect of an endocannabinoid congener, N-stearoylethanolamine (NSE), on the content of plasma and liver pools of free amino acids (AA) was studied in burned rats. After application of a thermal skin burn (stage III) animals perorally received an aqueous suspension of NSE (10 mg/kg of body weight) during 7 days or were treated with the aqueous NSE suspension (10 mg/ml) applied onto the burn wound, or received a combined treatment. It has been originally demonstrated for the first time, that the treatment of burned rats with NSE prevented the decrease in total AA concentration in blood plasma and the increase in hepatic AA concentration due to modulation in concentrations of glycogenic AA. In burned animals the ratio of plasma and liver homogenate Phe/Tyr and Gly/Val increased while the Fischer ratio (Ile+Leu+Val/Phe+Tyr) decreased, and after the treatment with NSE these parameters remained at the level of intact animals. These data demonstrate that NSE possesses adaptogenic properties, and it is involved in the organism response to the burn. This prevents changes in blood plasma and hepatic pools of free AA of NSE-treated rats with the burn wound compared with untreated animals.