arachidonoylserotonin and anandamide

Topics: Amides; Amidohydrolases; Amines; Animals; Arachidonic Acids; Binding Sites; Cannabinoid Receptor Modulators; Drug Design; Endocannabinoids; Esters; Ethers; Glycerides; Humans; Ligands; Monoacylglycerol Lipases; Polyunsaturated Alkamides; Receptors, Cannabinoid

There is considerable evidence to support the role of anandamide (AEA), an endogenous ligand of cannabinoid receptors, in neuropathic pain modulation. AEA also produces effects mediated by other biological targets, of which the transient receptor potential vanilloid type 1 (TRPV1) has been the most investigated. Both, inhibition of AEA breakdown by fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) and blockage of TRPV1 have been shown to produce anti-nociceptive effects. Recent research suggests the usefulness of dual-action compounds, which may afford greater anti-allodynic efficacy. Therefore, in the present study, we examined the effect of N-arachidonoyl-serotonin (AA-5-HT), a blocker of FAAH and TRPV1, in a rat model of neuropathic pain after intrathecal administration. We found that treatment with AA-5-HT increased the pain threshold to mechanical and thermal stimuli, with highest effect at the dose of 500nM, which was most strongly attenuated by AM-630, CB2 antagonist, administration. The single action blockers PF-3845 (1000nM, for FAAH) and I-RTX (1nM, for TRPV1) showed lower efficacy than AA-5-HT. Moreover AA-5-HT (500nM) elevated AEA and palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) levels. Among the possible targets of these mediators, only the mRNA levels of CB2, GPR18 and GPR55, which are believed to be novel cannabinoid receptors, were upregulated in the spinal cord and/or DRG of CCI rats. It was previously reported that AA-5-HT acts in CB1 and TRPV1-dependent manner after systemic administration, but here for the first time we show that AA-5-HT action at the spinal level involves CB2, with potential contributions from GRP18 and/or GPR55 receptors.

Topics: Amidohydrolases; Analgesics; Animals; Arachidonic Acids; Cannabinoid Receptor Antagonists; Disease Models, Animal; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Endocannabinoids; Ganglia, Spinal; Glycerides; Injections, Spinal; Male; Neuralgia; Nociception; Pain Threshold; Polyunsaturated Alkamides; Rats, Wistar; Receptor, Cannabinoid, CB1; Receptor, Cannabinoid, CB2; Receptors, Cannabinoid; Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled; Serotonin; Signal Transduction; Spinal Cord; Time Factors; TRPV Cation Channels

Regenerative activity in tissues of mesenchymal origin depends on the migratory potential of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). The present study focused on inhibitors of the enzyme fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH), which catalyzes the degradation of endocannabinoids (anandamide, 2-arachidonoylglycerol) and endocannabinoid-like substances (N-oleoylethanolamine, N-palmitoylethanolamine). Boyden chamber assays, the FAAH inhibitors, URB597 and arachidonoyl serotonin (AA-5HT), were found to increase the migration of human adipose-derived MSCs. LC-MS analyses revealed increased levels of all four aforementioned FAAH substrates in MSCs incubated with either FAAH inhibitor. Following addition to MSCs, all FAAH substrates mimicked the promigratory action of FAAH inhibitors. Promigratory effects of FAAH inhibitors and substrates were causally linked to activation of p42/44 MAPKs, as well as to cytosol-to-nucleus translocation of the transcription factor, PPARα. Whereas PPARα activation by FAAH inhibitors and substrates became reversed upon inhibition of p42/44 MAPK activation, a blockade of PPARα left p42/44 MAPK phosphorylation unaltered. Collectively, these data demonstrate FAAH inhibitors and substrates to cause p42/44 MAPK phosphorylation, which subsequently activates PPARα to confer increased migration of MSCs. This novel pathway may be involved in regenerative effects of endocannabinoids whose degradation could be a target of pharmacological intervention by FAAH inhibitors.

Topics: Adipose Tissue; Amides; Amidohydrolases; Arachidonic Acids; Benzamides; Carbamates; Cell Movement; Cells, Cultured; Endocannabinoids; Enzyme Inhibitors; Ethanolamines; Glycerides; Humans; Mesenchymal Stem Cells; Oleic Acids; Palmitic Acids; Polyunsaturated Alkamides; PPAR alpha; Receptor, Cannabinoid, CB1; Serotonin

In recent years, several studies have explored the involvement of the deregulation of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis in the pathophysiology of stress-related disorders. HPA hyper-activation as a consequence of acute/chronic stress has been found to play a major role in the neurobiological changes that are responsible for the onset of such states. Currently available medications for depression, one of the most relevant stress-related disorders, present several limitations, including a time lag for treatment response and low rates of efficacy. N-Arachidonoylserotonin (AA-5-HT), a dual blocker at fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH, the enzyme responsible for the inactivation of the endocannabinoid anandamide) and transient receptor potential vanilloid type-1 channel (TRPV1), produces anxiolytic-like effects in mice. The present study was designed to assess the capability of AA-5-HT to reverse the behavioral despair following exposure to stress in rats and the role of the HPA-axis. Behavioral tasks were performed, and corticosterone and endocannabinoid (anandamide and 2-arachidonoylglycerol) levels were measured in selected brain areas critically involved in the pathophysiology of stress-related disorders (medial PFC and hippocampus) under basal and stress conditions, and in response to treatment with AA-5-HT. Our data show that AA-5-HT reverses the rat behavioral despair in the forced swim test under stress conditions, and this effect is associated with the normalization of the HPA-axis deregulation that follows stress application and only in part with elevation of anandamide levels. Blockade of FAAH and TRPV1 may thus represent a novel target to design novel therapeutic strategies for the treatment of stress-related disorders.

Topics: Amidohydrolases; Animals; Arachidonic Acids; Behavior, Animal; Brain; Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor; Corticosterone; Endocannabinoids; Glycerides; Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System; Male; Pituitary-Adrenal System; Polyunsaturated Alkamides; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Restraint, Physical; Serotonin; Stress, Psychological; Swimming; TRPV Cation Channels

N-arachidonoylserotonin (AA-5-HT, 1a) is an inhibitor of fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) that acts also as an antagonist of transient receptor potential vanilloid-type 1 (TRPV1) channels and is analgesic in rodents. We modified the chemical structure of 1a with the aim of developing "hybrid" FAAH/TRPV1 blockers more potent than the parent compound or obtaining analogues with single activity at either of the two targets to study the mechanism of the analgesic action of 1a. Thirty-eight AA-5-HT analogues, containing a serotonin "head" bound to a variety of lipophilic moieties via amide, urea, or carbamate functionalities, were synthesized. Unlike 1a, most of the new compounds possessed activity at only one of the two considered targets. The amides 1b and 1c of alpha- and gamma-linolenic acid, however, showed "hybrid" activity similar to 1a. The carbamate 3f (OMDM106), although unable to antagonize TRPV1 receptors, was the most potent FAAH inhibitor in this study (IC50=0.5 microM). Compounds 3f and 1m (OMDM129), which exhibited activity at only FAAH or TRPV1, respectively, were 10-fold less potent than 1a at preventing formalin-induced hyperalgesia in mice.

Topics: Amidohydrolases; Analgesics; Animals; Arachidonic Acids; Biphenyl Compounds; Brain; Calcium; Carbamates; Cell Line; Endocannabinoids; Humans; Hydrolysis; Hyperalgesia; Indoles; Mice; Pain; Pain Measurement; Polyunsaturated Alkamides; Rats; Serotonin; Structure-Activity Relationship; TRPV Cation Channels

Evidence indicates that the endocannabinoid, 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG), increases food intake when injected into the nucleus accumbens shell (NAcS), thereby potentially activating hypothalamic nuclei involved in food intake regulation. We aimed to evaluate potential orexigenic effects of the endocannabinoid anandamide and of AA5HT, a fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) inhibitor, and OMDM-1, an inhibitor of anandamide uptake, injected in the NAcS, as well as the effect of these treatments on activation of hypothalamic nuclei.. Drugs were given into the NAcS of rats and food intake quantified during the next 4 h. In other groups, after the same treatments the brains were processed for c-Fos immunohistochemistry with focus on hypothalamic nuclei. Additional groups were used to quantify endocannabinoid levels in the nucleus accumbens and the hypothalamus after AA5HT and OMDM-1 intra-NAcS injections.. Our results indicate that the above treatments stimulate food intake during 4 h post-injection. They also increase c-Fos immunoreactivity in hypothalamic nuclei. The CB(1) antagonist, AM251, blocked these effects. Finally, we found elevated levels of 2-AG, but not anandamide, after intra-NAcS injections of AA5HT.. These data support the involvement of the endocannabinoid system in feeding behavior at the level of the NAcS and hypothalamus. In addition, this is the first experimental demonstration that the pharmacological inhibition of endocannabinoid inactivation in the NAcS stimulates food intake, suggesting that the endocannabinoid degrading proteins can be a target for treating eating disorders.

Topics: Amidohydrolases; Animals; Arachidonic Acids; Arcuate Nucleus of Hypothalamus; Benzyl Compounds; Cannabinoid Receptor Modulators; Eating; Endocannabinoids; Glycerides; Hypothalamus; Immunohistochemistry; Male; Nucleus Accumbens; Piperidines; Polyunsaturated Alkamides; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos; Pyrazoles; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Receptor, Cannabinoid, CB1; Serotonin; Time Factors

In this study, we investigated the mechanism of S100B neurotoxicity and the effect of cannabinoids, in C6 cells treated with 1-methyl-4-phenyl 1,2,3,6 tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) and co-cultured with differentiated PC12 cells. MPTP concentration- and time-dependently increased S100B density in C6 cells. This effect was followed by increased C6 cell proliferation and decreased cell viability of co-cultured PC12 cells. An antibody against S100B, given to PC12 cells before co-culture, led to their survival. Treatment with arachidonyl-2-chloroethylamide, a CB1 agonist, significantly inhibited MPTP-induced S100B density in C6 cells and protected co-cultured PC12 cells from cell death. Because MPTP selectively increased the levels of anandamide in C6 cells, the involvement of the endocannabinoid system was investigated by using selective inhibitors of endocannabinoid inactivation (cellular re-uptake or enzymatic hydrolysis) and selective cannabinoid CB1 and CB2 receptor antagonists and by silencing the CB1 receptor. Our data suggest that selective activation of CB1 receptors by either exogenous or endogenous cannabinoids might afford neuroprotection in MPTP-induced neurotoxicity also by controlling S100B up-regulation in activated glial cells.

Topics: 1-Methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine; Amidohydrolases; Animals; Antibodies; Apoptosis; Arachidonic Acids; Calcium; Caspase 3; Cell Communication; Cell Differentiation; Cell Proliferation; Cell Survival; Coculture Techniques; Culture Media, Conditioned; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Endocannabinoids; Enzyme Activation; Enzyme Inhibitors; Indoles; MPTP Poisoning; Nerve Growth Factors; Neuroglia; Neurons; Neuroprotective Agents; PC12 Cells; Piperidines; Polyunsaturated Alkamides; Pyrazoles; Rats; Receptor, Cannabinoid, CB1; Receptor, Cannabinoid, CB2; Rimonabant; RNA Interference; RNA, Small Interfering; S100 Calcium Binding Protein beta Subunit; S100 Proteins; Serotonin; Time Factors; Up-Regulation

Knockout (KO) mice invalidated for the dopamine transporter (DAT) constitute a powerful animal model of neurobiological alterations associated with hyperdopaminergia relevant to schizophrenia and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).. Because of continuously increasing evidence for a neuromodulatory role of endocannabinoids in dopamine-related pathophysiological responses, we assessed endocannabinoid signaling in DAT KO mice and evaluated the ability of endocannabinoid ligands to normalize behavioral deficits, namely spontaneous hyperlocomotion in these mice.. In DAT KO mice, we found markedly reduced anandamide levels, specifically in striatum, the dopamine nerve terminal region. Furthermore, three distinct indirect endocannabinoid agonists, the selective anandamide reuptake inhibitors AM404 and VDM11 and the fatty acid amidohydrolase inhibitor AA5HT, attenuated spontaneous hyperlocomotion in DAT KO mice. The hypolocomotor effects of AM404, VDM11, and AA5HT were significantly attenuated by co-administration of the transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) antagonist capsazepine but not the selective cannabinoid type 1 (CB1)receptor antagonist AM251. Interestingly, TRPV1 binding was increased in the striatum of DAT KO mice, while CB1 receptor binding was unaffected.. These data indicate a dysregulated striatal endocannabinoid neurotransmission associated with hyperdopaminergic state. Restoring endocannabinoid homeostasis in active synapses might constitute an alternative therapeutic strategy for disorders associated with hyperdopaminergia. In this process, TRPV1 receptors seem to play a key role and represent a novel promising pharmacological target.

Topics: Amidohydrolases; Animals; Arachidonic Acids; Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity; Cannabinoid Receptor Modulators; Capsaicin; Corpus Striatum; Disease Models, Animal; Dopamine; Dopamine Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins; Endocannabinoids; Mice; Mice, Knockout; Motor Activity; Polyunsaturated Alkamides; Receptor, Cannabinoid, CB1; Serotonin; Signal Transduction; TRPV Cation Channels

Recent work in our laboratories has demonstrated that an opioid-independent form of stress-induced analgesia (SIA) is mediated by endogenous cannabinoids [Hohmann et al., 2005. Nature 435, 1108]. Non-opioid SIA, induced by a 3-min continuous foot shock, is characterized by the mobilization of two endocannabinoid lipids--2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) and anandamide--in the midbrain periaqueductal gray (PAG). The present studies were conducted to examine the contributions of spinal endocannabinoids to nonopioid SIA. Time-dependent increases in levels of 2-AG, but not anandamide, were observed in lumbar spinal cord extracts derived from shocked relative to non-shocked rats. Notably, 2-AG accumulation was of smaller magnitude than that observed previously in the dorsal midbrain following foot shock. 2-AG is preferentially degraded by monoacylglycerol lipase (MGL), whereas anandamide is hydrolyzed primarily by fatty-acid amide hydrolase (FAAH). This metabolic segregation enabled us to manipulate endocannabinoid tone at the spinal level to further evaluate the roles of 2-AG and anandamide in nonopioid SIA. Intrathecal administration of the competitive CB1 antagonist SR141716A (rimonabant) failed to suppress nonopioid SIA, suggesting that supraspinal rather than spinal CB1 receptor activation plays a pivotal role in endocannabinoid-mediated SIA. By contrast, spinal inhibition of MGL using URB602, which selectively inhibits 2-AG hydrolysis in the PAG, enhanced SIA through a CB1-selective mechanism. Spinal inhibition of FAAH, with either URB597 or arachidonoyl serotonin (AA-5-HT), also enhanced SIA through a CB1-mediated mechanism, presumably by increasing accumulation of tonically released anandamide. Our results suggest that endocannabinoids in the spinal cord regulate, but do not mediate, nonopioid SIA.

Topics: Analgesia; Analysis of Variance; Animals; Arachidonic Acids; Behavior, Animal; Benzamides; Carbamates; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Drug Interactions; Endocannabinoids; Glycerides; Male; Mass Spectrometry; Pain Measurement; Piperidines; Polyunsaturated Alkamides; Pyrazoles; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Reaction Time; Rimonabant; Serotonin; Spinal Cord; Stress, Psychological; Time Factors

Direct stimulation of cannabinoid CB1 receptors exerts a protective function in animal models of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs). However, it is not known whether endocannabinoids are up-regulated during IBDs in animals or humans, nor whether pharmacological elevation of endocannabinoid levels can be exploited therapeutically in these disorders. In this study we addressed these questions. Colon inflammation was induced in mice and rats with 2,4-dinitrobenzene- and 2,4,6-trinitrobenzene sulfonic acids (DNBS and TNBS), respectively. DNBS-treated mice were treated chronically (for 3 or 7 days) with inhibitors of anandamide enzymatic hydrolysis (N-arachidonoyl-serotonin, AA-5-HT) or reuptake (VDM11), 10 or 5 mg/kg, s.c., or with 5-amino-salicilic acid (5-ASA, 1.4 mg/kg, i.r.). Endocannabinoids (anandamide and 2-arachidonoylglycerol, 2-AG) were quantified in mouse colon, or in rat colon mucosa and submucosa, and in bioptic samples from the colon of patients with untreated ulcerative colitis, by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. A strong elevation of anandamide, but not 2-AG, levels was found in the colon of DNBS-treated mice, in the colon submucosa of TNBS-treated rats, and in the biopsies of patients with ulcerative colitis. VDM-11 significantly elevated anandamide levels in the colon of DNBS-treated mice and concomitantly abolished inflammation, whereas AA-5-HT did not affect endocannabinoid levels and was significantly less efficacious at attenuating colitis. 5-ASA also increased anandamide levels and abolished colitis. Thus, anandamide is elevated in the inflamed colon of patients with ulcerative colitis, as well as in animal models of IBDs, to control inflammation, and elevation of its levels with inhibitors of its cellular reuptake might be used in the treatment of IBDs.

Topics: Adult; Aged; Amidohydrolases; Animals; Arachidonic Acids; Benzenesulfonates; Colitis; Colitis, Ulcerative; Colon; Disease Models, Animal; Drug Evaluation, Preclinical; Endocannabinoids; Female; Glycerides; Humans; Inflammatory Bowel Diseases; Intestinal Mucosa; Male; Mesalamine; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Middle Aged; Peroxidase; Polyunsaturated Alkamides; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Receptor, Cannabinoid, CB1; Serotonin; Specific Pathogen-Free Organisms; Trinitrobenzenesulfonic Acid

Arachidonoyl-serotonin inhibits in a mixed-type manner the metabolism of the endocannabinoid anandamide by the enzyme fatty acid amidohydrolase. In the present study, compounds related to arachidonoyl-serotonin have been synthesised and investigated for their ability to inhibit anandamide hydrolysis by this enzyme in rat brain homogenates. Removal of the 5-hydroxy from the serotonin head group of arachidonoyl-serotonin produced a compound (N-arachidonoyltryptamine) that was a 2.3-fold weaker inhibitor of anandamide hydrolysis, but which also produced its inhibition by a mixed-type manner (Ki(slope) 1.3 microM; Ki(intercept) 44 microM). Replacement of the amide linkage in this compound by an ester group further reduced the potency. In contrast, replacement of the arachidonoyl side chain by a linolenoyl side chain did not affect the observed potency. N-(Fur-3-ylmethyl) arachidonamide (UCM707), N-(fur-3-ylmethyl)linolenamide and N-(fur-3-ylmethyl)oleamide inhibited anandamide hydrolysis with pI50 values of 4.53, 5.36 and 5.25, respectively. The linolenamide derivative was also found to be a mixed-type inhibitor. It is concluded that the 5-hydroxy group of arachidonoyl-serotonin contributes to, but is not essential for, inhibitory potency at fatty acid amidohydrolase.

Topics: Amidohydrolases; Animals; Arachidonic Acids; Binding Sites; Brain; Cannabinoid Receptor Modulators; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Endocannabinoids; Enzyme Inhibitors; Hydrolysis; Inhibitory Concentration 50; Kinetics; Models, Chemical; Polyunsaturated Alkamides; Rats; Receptors, Cannabinoid; Receptors, Drug; Serotonin

Fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) catalyzes the hydrolysis of bioactive fatty acid amides and esters such as the endogenous cannabinoid receptor ligands, anandamide (N-arachidonoyl-ethanolamine) and 2-arachidonoylglycerol, and the putative sleep inducing factor cis-9-octadecenoamide (oleamide). Most FAAH blockers developed to date also inhibit cytosolic phospholipase A2 (cPLA2) and/or bind to the CB1 cannabinoid receptor subtype. Here we report the finding of four novel FAAH inhibitors, two of which, malhamensilipin A and grenadadiene, were screened out of a series of thirty-two different algal natural products, and two others, arachidonoylethylene glycol (AEG) and arachidonoyl-serotonin (AA-5-HT) were selected out of five artificially functionalized polyunsaturated fatty acids. When using FAAH preparations from mouse neuroblastoma N18TG2 cells and [14C]anandamide as a substrate, the IC50s for these compounds ranged from 12.0 to 26 microM, the most active compound being AA-5-HT. This substance was also active on FAAH from rat basophilic leukaemia (RBL-2H3) cells (IC50 = 5.6 microM), and inhibited [14C]anandamide hydrolysis by both N18TG2 and RBL-2H3 intact cells without affecting [14C]anandamide uptake. While AEG behaved as a competitive inhibitor and was hydrolyzed to arachidonic acid (AA) by FAAH preparations, AA-5-HT was resistant to FAAH-catalyzed hydrolysis and behaved as a tight-binding, albeit non-covalent, mixed inhibitor. AA-5-HT did not interfere with cPLA2-mediated, ionomycin or antigen-induced release of [3H]AA from RBL-2H3 cells, nor with cPLA2 activity in cell-free experiments. Finally, AA-5-HT did not activate CB1 cannabinoid receptors since it acted as a very weak ligand in in vitro binding assays, and, at 10-15 mg/kg body weight, it was not active in the 'open field', 'hot plate' and rectal hypothermia tests carried out in mice. Conversely AEG behaved as a cannabimimetic substance in these tests as well as in the 'ring' immobility test where AA-5-HT was also active. AA-5-HT is the first FAAH inhibitor reported to date which is inactive both against cPLA2 and at CB1 receptors, whereas AEG represents a new type of cannabinoid receptor agonist.

Topics: Amidohydrolases; Animals; Arachidonic Acids; Cyclopropanes; Endocannabinoids; Enzyme Inhibitors; Esters; Ethylene Glycols; Kinetics; Leukemia, Basophilic, Acute; Lipids; Mice; Neuroblastoma; Polyunsaturated Alkamides; Rats; Serotonin; Structure-Activity Relationship; Substrate Specificity; Tumor Cells, Cultured