title: Cellular transport of anandamide, 2-arachidonoylglycerol and palmitoylethanolamide--targets for drug development?
abstract: The endogenous cannabinoid anandamide (AEA) is transported into cells by a temperature-sensitive process of facilitated diffusion. This uptake process has been characterised both biochemically and pharmacologically, and shown to be regulated at least in part by the intracellular metabolism of the accumulated AEA by fatty acid amide hydrolase. In this review, the properties of this transport process are briefly reviewed together with the corresponding transport mechanisms for the related endogenous compounds 2-arachidonoylglycerol and palmitoylethanolamide. In addition, the possibility that these transport mechanisms can be targets for therapeutic strategies aimed at prolonging the effects of the endocannabinoids is discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology and Clinical Neuroscience, Umeå University, SE-901 87 Umeå, Sweden. cf@pharm.umu.se
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Fowler
authors.forename: S O P
authors.initials: SO
authors.lastname: Jacobsson
mesh_terms: D000577:Amides; D000818:Animals; D001095:Arachidonic Acids / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D001692:Biological Transport; D063385:Cannabinoid Receptor Modulators; D002186:Cannabinoids / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D015195:Drug Design; D063388:Endocannabinoids; D004983:Ethanolamines; D005989:Glycerides / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D015394:Molecular Structure; D010169:Palmitic Acids / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D053284:Polyunsaturated Alkamides
chemical_list: D000577:Amides; D001095:Arachidonic Acids; D063385:Cannabinoid Receptor Modulators; D002186:Cannabinoids; D063388:Endocannabinoids; D004983:Ethanolamines; D005989:Glycerides; D010169:Palmitic Acids; D053284:Polyunsaturated Alkamides; C005958:palmidrol; C094503:glyceryl 2-arachidonate; C078814:anandamide