BACKGROUND Considerable efforts have been made to characterize the pathways regulating the extracellular levels of the endocannabinoid anandamide. However, none of such pathways has been so argued as the existence of a carrier-mediated transport of anandamide across the membrane. Apart from the lack of molecular evidence for such a carrier, the main reasons of this controversy lie in the method...

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 a lipid neurotransmitter that interacts with various plasma membrane lipids. The data here consists of molecular dynamics simulations of anandamide, C18-ceramide and cholesterol performed in vacuo and within a hydrated palmitoyl-oleoyl-phosphatidylcholine (POPC)/cholesterol membrane. Several models of anandamide/cholesterol and anandamide/ceramide complexes are presented. The ener...

The endogenous cannabinoid receptor agonist anandamide is present in central and peripheral tissues. As the kidney contains both the amidase that degrades anandamide and transcripts for anandamide receptors, we characterized the molecular components of the anandamide signaling system and the vascular effects of exogenous anandamide in the kidney. We show that anandamide is present in kidney hom...

BACKGROUND Anandamide is a lipid neurotransmitter which belongs to a class of molecules termed the endocannabinoids involved in multiple physiological functions. Anandamide is readily taken up into cells, but there is considerable controversy as to the nature of this transport process (passive diffusion through the lipid bilayer vs. involvement of putative proteic transporters). This issue is o...

BACKGROUND Several observations have suggested that anandamide, an endogenous cannabinoid ligand, plays an important role in the modulation of cough sensitivity. However, it is unknown whether the anandamide membrane transporter plays a role in this modulation. To test this hypothesis, we investigated the effects of VDM11, an anandamide membrane transporter inhibitor, on capsaicin- and anandami...

BACKGROUND Obesity has been associated with elevated plasma anandamide levels. In addition, anandamide has been shown to stimulate insulin secretion in vitro, suggesting that anandamide might be linked to hyperinsulinemia. OBJECTIVE To determine whether high-fat diet-induced insulin resistance increases anandamide levels and potentiates the insulinotropic effect of anandamide in isolated panc...

Although exogenous cannabinoid ligands such as delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) have been implicated in reward-related learning and aversion, the hedonic effects of the endogenous cannabinoid agonist anandamide (arachidonylethanolamide) have never been assessed. Thus, the effects of anandamide were tested in a place conditioning task. Male Wistar rats received THC (0.0-8.0 mg/kg) or anandamide...

N-Arachidonylethanolamine (anandamide) is an endogenous agonist of the cannabinoid CB1 and CB2 receptors and displays many of the same receptor-mediated physiological effects as delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol (delta9-THC), the active component of marijuana. As with any neurotransmitter, there must be tight control of anandamide receptor-mediated signaling and a means of rapid removal of the molecu...

To study the effect of an unstirred layer (UL), we have investigated the exchange efflux kinetics of anandamide at 0 degrees C, pH 7.3, from albumin-free as well as from albumin-filled human red blood cell ghosts to media of various BSA concentrations ([BSA](o)). The rate constant (k(m)) of unidirectional flux from the outer membrane leaflet to BSA in the medium increased with the square root o...