We hypothesized that ethanol (EtOH) might act through the endocannabinoid system to inhibit luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) release. Therefore, we examined the mechanism by which EtOH and anandamide (AEA), an endogenous cannabinoid, inhibit LHRH release from incubated medial basal hypothalamic explants. In previous work, we demonstrated that EtOH inhibits the N-methyl-D-aspartic ac...

Cannabis extracts have been used for centuries, but its main active principle ∆9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) was identified about 50 years ago. Yet, it is only 25 years ago that the first endogenous ligand of the same receptors engaged by the cannabis agents was discovered. This "endocannabinoid (eCB)" was identified as N-arachidonoylethanolamine (or anandamide (AEA)), and was shown to have seve...

Recently, the cannabinoid (CB) receptor agonist anandamide (AEA) has been shown to excite perivascular terminals of primary sensory neurons via activation of the vanilloid receptor-1 (VR-1). To determine whether AEA stimulates central terminals of these neurons, via VR-1 activation, we studied the release of calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP)- and substance P (SP)-like immunoreactivities (L...

Anandamide (AEA) is the endogenous ligand of cannabinoid (CB) receptors, and as such it plays several central and peripheral activities. Regulation of female fertility by AEA has attracted growing interest, yet a role for this endocannabinoid in controlling sperm function and male fertility in mammals has been scarcely investigated. In this study we report unprecedented evidence that boar sperm...

An anthocyanin-rich extract, generated from açai (AEA), was investigated for its antioxidant properties and antiproliferative activity against C-6 rat brain glioma cells and MDA-468 human breast cancer cells. AEA has an ORAC value of 2589 lmoles trolox equivalents (TE)/g dried powder and a DPPH radical-scavenging activity of 1208 lmoles TE/g, suggesting that AEA is an exceptional source of natu...

Anandamide (AEA) and delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) are endogenous and exogenous ligands, respectively, for cannabinoid receptors. Whereas most of the pharmacological actions of cannabinoids are mediated by CB1 receptors, there is also evidence that these compounds can produce effects that are not mediated by the activation of identified cannabinoid receptors. Here, we report that THC and AE...

Anandamide (AEA) is an endogenous fatty acid which activates the same cannabinoid receptors as ∆9-tetrahydrocannabinol, the psychoactive substance in marijuana. In vivo, AEA exerts a number of actions including effects upon pain and inflammation. However, AEA has a short duration of action since it is rapidly metabolised, primarily by the intracellular enzyme fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH). ...

Neuropathic pain elevates spinal anandamide (AEA) levels in a way further increased when URB597, an inhibitor of AEA hydrolysis by fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH), is injected intrathecally. Spinal AEA reduces neuropathic pain by acting at both cannabinoid CB1 receptors and transient receptor potential vanilloid-1 (TRPV1) channels. Yet, intrathecal URB597 is only partially effective at counte...

In the present study we explored with a multidisciplinary approach, the role of anandamide (AEA) in the modulation of anxiety behavior at the level of the prefrontal cortex (PFC). Low doses of the metabolically stable AEA analog, methanandamide, microinjected into the PFC, produced an anxiolytic-like response in rats, whereas higher doses induced anxiety-like behaviors. Pretreatment with the se...

We investigated the effect of 2-methyl-arachidonyl-2'-fluoro-ethylamide (Met-F-AEA), a stable analog of the endocannabinoid anandamide, on a rat thyroid epithelial cell line (FRTL-5) transformed by the K-ras oncogene, and on epithelial tumors derived from these cells. Met-F-AEA effect in vivo was evaluated in a nude mouse xenograft model, where K-ras-transformed (KiMol) cells were implanted sub...