2-Octyl gamma-bromoacetoacetate (O gamma Br), an endogenous compound originally isolated from human cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), has previously been demonstrated to increase REM sleep duration in cats. Based on the chemical structure of O gamma Br and its reported sleep-inducing effects, we synthesized O gamma Br along with chemically related analogs and tested these compounds as inhibitors of fa...

Endocannabinoids are lipid transmitters binding and activating the cannabinoid receptors. Both cannabinoid receptors and endocannabinoids, such as 2-arachidonoylglycerol and anandamide, have been shown to control numerous physiological and pathological processes, including in the central nervous system. Thus regulating endocannabinoid levels in-vivo represents an interesting therapeutic perspec...

A thioesterase present in the uropygial gland of mallard functions in conjunction with fatty acid synthase to produce short chain acids in this gland (deRenobales, M., Rogers, L., and Kolattukudy, P. E. (1980) Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 205,464-477). This enzyme, capable of releasing short chain acids from fatty acid synthase, was purified to near homogeneity. This S-acyl fatty acid synthase thioe...

Acetaminophen (paracetamol) is a popular domestic analgesic and antipyretic agent with a weak anti-inflammatory action and a low incidence of adverse effects as compared with aspirin and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Here we show that acetaminophen, following deacetylation to its primary amine, is conjugated with arachidonic acid in the brain and the spinal cord to form the poten...

Fatty acid ethanolamides (FAEs) and endocannabinoids (ECs) have been shown to alleviate pain and inflammation, regulate motility and appetite, and produce anticancer, anxiolytic, and neuroprotective efficacies via cannabinoid receptor type 1 (CB1) or type 2 (CB2) or via peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α (PPAR-α) stimulation. FAEs and ECs are synthesized by a series of endogenous enzy...