title: Occurrence and postmortem generation of anandamide and other long-chain N-acylethanolamines in mammalian brain.
abstract: Long-chain N-acylethanolamines (NAEs) were assayed in pig, sheep and cow brain by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry of their tert.-butyldimethylsilyl derivatives in the presence of deuterium-labeled internal standards. Immediately after death, total NAEs ranged from about 2.7 micrograms/g wet weight (sheep, cow) to 6.5 micrograms/g wet weight (pig) and consisted almost exclusively (99%) of saturated and monounsaturated species. Anandamide (20:4n-6 NAE) comprised about 1% of total NAE in pig and cow brain, but was absent in freshly extracted sheep brain. When pig brain was analysed after 0.5, 1, 3, 4 and 23 h at ambient temperature, NAE levels were found to increase substantially over the entire time period with 20:4n-6 NAE formation exhibiting a time lag compared to that of saturated and monounsaturated NAEs.
mesh_terms: D000215:Acylation; D000818:Animals; D001095:Arachidonic Acids / Q000378:metabolism*; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D002417:Cattle; D063388:Endocannabinoids; D004983:Ethanolamines / Q000378:metabolism*; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D008322:Mammals; D053284:Polyunsaturated Alkamides; D011180:Postmortem Changes; D012756:Sheep; D013045:Species Specificity; D013552:Swine; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D001095:Arachidonic Acids; D063388:Endocannabinoids; D004983:Ethanolamines; D053284:Polyunsaturated Alkamides; C078814:anandamide