title: Liquid chromatographic-mass spectrometric measurement of the endogenous cannabinoid 2-arachidonylglycerol in the spinal cord and peripheral nervous system.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To develop a sensitive method for measuring the putative endocannabinoid 2-arachidonylglycerol (2-AG) in the peripheral and central nervous system.
  
  
  METHODS
  A method using atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS) was developed to determine the levels of 2-AG in methanol extracts of the rat lumbar spinal cord, dorsal root ganglion (DRG), and sciatic nerve.
  
  
  RESULTS
  2-AG was detected with high sensitivity and minimal sample preparation. The levels in the tissues analyzed were < or = pmol/mg wet weight. Similar levels were found in the spinal cord and the DRG, whereas approximately 7-fold lower levels were observed in the sciatic nerve.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  2-AG is present in the peripheral nervous system, and the levels are markedly higher in cell bodies than those in axons.
authors.affiliation: Alan M Schrier Research Laboratory, Departments of Psychology and Neuroscience, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA.
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: N M
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Strangman
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Walker
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001095:Arachidonic Acids; D063385:Cannabinoid Receptor Modulators; D063388:Endocannabinoids; D005727:Ganglia, Spinal / Q000737:chemistry*; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D005989:Glycerides / Q000032:analysis*; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012584:Sciatic Nerve / Q000737:chemistry*; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D001095:Arachidonic Acids; D063385:Cannabinoid Receptor Modulators; D063388:Endocannabinoids; D005989:Glycerides; C094503:glyceryl 2-arachidonate