Anandamide

Fatty acids occur naturally m forms other than as glyceryl triesters and we 11 see numerous examples as we go through the chapter One recently discovered fatty acid derivative is anandamide... 

Other than that both are lipids there are no obvious structural similarities be tween anandamide and THC... 

CP 55940 (79) and nabilone (80) are synthetic ligands for the cannabiaoid receptor. However, the identification of the eicosanoid, anandamide (81), as an endogenous cannabimimetic has provided an important tool to study cannabiaoid receptor function. 

A natural sythesised cannabinoid interacting with the cannabinoid receptor I and II. In addition, anandamide blocks receptor-independent all LVA-calcium channels. 

Endocannabinoids are endogenous mediators acting via the binding to, and activation of, cannabinoid receptors, CBX and CB2 [1]. iV-arachidonoy 1-ethanol-amine (AEA, anandamide) and 2-arachidonoyl-glycerol (2-AG) (Fig. 1) are the two most studied endocannabinoids. In the nervous system, endocannabinoids act as... 

Endocannabinoids. Figure 1 Chemical structures of the two most studied endocannabinoids, anandamide and 2-arachidonoylglycerol, of Cannabis sativa psychoactive principle, A9-tetrahydrocannabinol, and of the CB-i receptor antagonist/inverse agonist, rimonabant. 

The LVA ai subunits are blocked by moderate to low (10 pM) concentrations of nickel and bind the channel blocker mibefradil and kurotoxin. Both compounds are not specific LVA channel blockers because they block also Cavl. x and Cav2.x channels at about tenfold higher concentration. Interestingly, the endogenous cannabinoid anandamide binds to LVA channels and stabilises the inactivated state. This effect decreases T-type calcium current and neuronal firing activities. 

ANANDAMIDE TRANSPORT INHIBITORS The Hydrophobic Chain The Carboxamide/Carboxylate Group The Polar Head Group... 

The best studied of the endocarmabinoids are anandamide (A -arachidonyl-ethanolamine, AEA)(1) and 2-arachidonylglycerol (2-AG)(2). Anandamide was first identified from porcine brain extracts by Devane and co-workers in 1992 [13], while 2-AG was first reported in 1995 to have been isolated from canine gut [14] and rat brain [15]. More recently, noladin ether (2-arachidonyl-glyceryl ether, 2-AGE)(3) [16], virodhamine (D-arachidonyl-ethanolamine)(4) [17] and A-arachidonyl-dopamine (NADA)(5) [18] were proposed as endogenous ligands for the cannabinoid receptors. In a subsequent publication, the authors failed to detect noladin ether in mammalian brains and questioned the relevance of this compound as an endocarmabinoid [19]. Anandamide, noladin ether and NADA have functional selectivity for CBi receptors, virodhamine is CB2 selective and 2-AG is essentially non-selective. 

The biosyntheses of anandamide and 2-AG have been studied in depth [10]. These compounds appear to be synthesised on demand in response to certain stimuli, rather than being stored in cells. Little is known regarding the biosynthesis of noladin ether, virodhamine or NADA. 

FAAH was originally purified and cloned from rat liver microsomes and is able to catalyse the hydrolysis of anandamide and 2-AG, in addition to other long-chain fatty acid amides [25]. Studies into the structure and role of this enzyme have generated interest in the potential therapeutic applications of FAAH inhibitors [26-28]. FAAH knock-out mouse brains contained 15-fold higher levels of anandamide than their wild-type counterparts and these animals have also been shown to be more responsive to exogenously administered anandamide [29]. These animals also showed a reduced response to painful stimuli, supporting the hypothesis that FAAH inhibition may provide novel analgesics. Levels of 2-AG were not elevated in the FAAH knock-out animals, apparently due to the existence of alternative metabolic fates for this compound [30]. 

The first substrate analogue inhibitors of FAAH were reported in 1994. The anandamide analogues prepared represented three elasses of putative transition-state inhibitors a-trifluoromethyl ketones, a-ketoesters and a-ketoamides [62], In the initial sereening studies, it was found that the trifluoromethyl ketone eompounds tested were effeetive inhibitors of AEA hydrolysis. A selected set of a-keto esters also inhibited hydrolysis, while a-keto amides were ineffective. In particular, arachidonyl trifluoromethyl ketone (32), gave almost 100% inhibition of anandamide hydrolysis. A detailed investigation of the structural requirements for FAAH inhibition with a-trifluoromethyl ketones has been carried out by Roger and co-workers [63]. 

The development of SAR for endocannabinoid-derived structures has primarily focused on the anandamide skeleton (1) with a large number of publications addressing the requirements for activity and stability of this scaffold. More recently, some SAR has begun to emerge for the other end-ocannabinoids, in particular 2-AG (2). The following discussion will focus on highlighting some of the main features that contribute to affinity and/or stability each endocannabinoid will be treated separately. A number of detailed reviews on this subject have been published [142-146]. 

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