title: Anandamide and other N-acylethanolamines in human tumors.
abstract: Long-chain N-acylethanolamines (NAE), including the endocannabinoid, anandamide, accumulate in mammalian tissues under a variety of pathological conditions. They have also been shown to inhibit the growth of various cancer cell lines in vitro. Here, we report the presence, in widely differing amounts (3.88-254.46 pmol/micromol lipid P), of NAE and their precursor phospholipids in various human tumors and some adjacent unaffected tissues. Anandamide ranged from 1.5 to 48% of total NAE, and incubation of tissue homogenates suggested possible NAE biosynthesis by both the established transacylation-phosphodiesterase pathway via N-acyl PE and by direct N-acylation of ethanolamine.
authors.affiliation: The Hormel Institute, University of Minnesota, Austin, Minnesota 55912, USA.
authors.forename: Patricia C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Schmid
authors.forename: Lester E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Wold
authors.forename: Randy J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Krebsbach
authors.forename: Evgueni V
authors.initials: EV
authors.lastname: Berdyshev
authors.forename: Harald H O
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Schmid
mesh_terms: D001095:Arachidonic Acids / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism; D063388:Endocannabinoids; D004983:Ethanolamines / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D053284:Polyunsaturated Alkamides; D014020:Tissue Extracts / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D001095:Arachidonic Acids; D063388:Endocannabinoids; D004983:Ethanolamines; C022203:N-acylethanolamines; D053284:Polyunsaturated Alkamides; D014020:Tissue Extracts; C078814:anandamide