A facilitated transport process that removes the endogenous cannabinoid anandamide from extracellular spaces has been identified. Once transported into the cytoplasm, fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) is responsible for metabolizing the accumulated anandamide. We propose that FAAH contributes to anandamide uptake by creating and maintaining an inward concentration gradient for anandamide. To ex...

anandamide is an endogenous ligand for cannabinoid receptors and has endothelial protective effect against ischemic preconditioning. the purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of cannabinoids on reperfusion injury due to testicular torsion-detorsion (t/d). a total of 36 adult male sprague-dawley rats were divided into 6 groups. testicular ischemia was achieved by twisting the righ...

Anandamide was the first brain metabolite shown to act as a ligand of "central" CB1 cannabinoid receptors. Here we report that the endogenous cannabinoid potently and selectively inhibits the proliferation of human breast cancer cells in vitro. Anandamide dose-dependently inhibited the proliferation of MCF-7 and EFM-19 cells with IC50 values between 0.5 and 1.5 microM and 83-92% maximal inhibit...

Background and aims: Cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) is upregulated in most colorectal cancers and is responsible for metabolism of the endogenous cannabinoid, anandamide, into prostaglandinethanolamides (PG-EAs). The aims of this study were to determine whether anandamide and PG-EAs induce cell death in colorectal carcinoma (CRC) cells, and whether high levels of COX-2 in CRC cells could be utilised ...

The precise mechanism by which the cellular uptake of the endocannabinoid anandamide (AEA) occurs has been the source of much debate. In the current study, we show that neuronal differentiated CAD (dCAD) cells accumulate anandamide by a process that is inhibited in a dose-dependent manner by N-(4-hydroxyphenyl)arachidonylamide (AM404). We also show that dCAD cells express functional fatty acid ...

The effect of anandamide, an endogenous ligand for central (CB1) and peripheral (CB2) cannabinoid receptors, was investigated on the growth of the murine IL-6-dependent lymphoid cell line B9 and the murine IL-3-dependent myeloblastic cell line FDC-P1. In conditions of low serum level, anandamide potentiated the growth of both cytokine-dependent cell lines. Comparison with other fatty acid canna...

Anandamide acts as a full vanilloid receptor agonist in many bioassay systems, but it is a weak activator of primary afferents in the airways. To address this discrepancy, we compared the effect of different vanilloid receptor agonists in isolated airways and mesenteric arteries of guinea pig using preparations containing different phenotypes of the capsaicin-sensitive sensory nerve. We found t...

Cannabinoid agonists impair hippocampus-dependent learning and memory. Using mouse hippocampal slice preparations, we examined the effect of anandamide, an endogenous cannabinoid, on sharp wave-ripple (SW-R) complexes, which are believed to mediate memory consolidation during slow-wave sleep or behavioral immobility. Anandamide reduced the frequency of SW-Rs recorded from the CA3 region, and th...

Arachidonylethanolamide (anandamide, AEA) is believed to be the endogenous ligand of the cannabinoid CB(1) and CB(2) receptors. CB(1) receptors have been found localized on fibers in the spinal trigeminal tract and spinal trigeminal nucleus caudalis. Known behavioral effects of anandamide are antinociception, catalepsy, hypothermia, and depression of motor activity, similar to Delta(9)-tetrahyd...