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Anandamide and Other Acylethanolamides

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Handbook of Neurochemistry and Molecular Neurobiology

Abstract:

Fatty acid ethanolamides, also known as N-acylethanolamines or acylethanolamides (AEs), have been known as naturally occurring lipids in animals and plants since the 1950s. Interest in their biological function and pharmacology in the central nervous system was revived after the identification of one of them, arachidonoylethanolamide (anandamide, AEA), as the first endogenous ligand of cannabinoid CB1 receptors, the most abundant G-protein-coupled receptors in the mammalian brain. Next came the discoveries that some AEs can also activate peroxisome-proliferator-activating receptors as well as transient receptor potential vanilloid type channels. The regulation and major known biological functions of AEA and other AEs in the nervous system are reviewed in this chapter.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to Epitech group S.r.l. for continued support.

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  1. S. Petrosino
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  2. V. Di Marzo
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Neurochemistry, Nathan S. Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, 140 Old Orangeburg Road, 10962, Orangeburg, New York, USA

    Abel Lajtha (Director) (Director)

  2. Department of Medical Chemistry, Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Via Saldini 50, 20133, Milan, Italy

    Guido Tettamanti

  3. Department of Internal Medicine Section of Biochemistry, University of Perugia, via del Giochetto, 06122, Perugia, Italy

    Gianfrancesco Goracci

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Petrosino, S., Marzo, V.D. (2009). Anandamide and Other Acylethanolamides. In: Lajtha, A., Tettamanti, G., Goracci, G. (eds) Handbook of Neurochemistry and Molecular Neurobiology. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-30378-9_5

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