title: Chemical characterization of a family of brain lipids that induce sleep.
abstract: A molecule isolated from the cerebrospinal fluid of sleep-deprived cats has been chemically characterized and identified as cis-9,10-octadecenoamide. Other fatty acid primary amides in addition to cis-9,10-octadecenoamide were identified as natural constituents of the cerebrospinal fluid of cat, rat, and human, indicating that these compounds compose a distinct family of brain lipids. Synthetic cis-9,10-octadecenoamide induced physiological sleep when injected into rats. Together, these results suggest that fatty acid primary amides may represent a previously unrecognized class of biological signaling molecules.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92307, USA.
authors.forename: B F
authors.initials: BF
authors.lastname: Cravatt
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Prospero-Garcia
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Siuzdak
authors.forename: N B
authors.initials: NB
authors.lastname: Gilula
authors.forename: S J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Henriksen
authors.forename: D L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Boger
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Lerner
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001923:Brain Chemistry; D002415:Cats; D002554:Cerebrosides / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D006801:Humans; D008055:Lipids / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D013058:Mass Spectrometry; D008970:Molecular Weight; D009829:Oleic Acids / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D015398:Signal Transduction; D012890:Sleep / Q000187:drug effects; D016339:Spectrometry, Mass, Fast Atom Bombardment; D013055:Spectrophotometry, Infrared
chemical_list: D002554:Cerebrosides; D008055:Lipids; D009829:Oleic Acids; C029407:oleylamide