title: Mass-spectrometric identification of anandamide and 2-arachidonoylglycerol in nematodes.
abstract: The purpose of the study was to see if nematodes (Caenorhabditis elegans, Caenorhabditis briggsae, and Pelodera strongyloides) produce endocannabinoids; i.e., anandamide (AEA) and 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG). In this study, AEA and 2-AG were identified as endogenous products from nematodes by using electrospray-ionization ion-trap MS/MS (ESI-IT-MS) experiments operated in the positive-ionization mode. Endocannabinoids were identified by product ion scan and concentrations were measured by triple quadrupole mass spectrometry in the multiple reaction monitoring mode (MRM). Both AEA and 2-AG were identified in all of the nematode samples, even though these species lack known cannabinoid receptors. Neither AEA nor 2-AG were detected in the fat-3 mutant of C. elegans, which lacks the necessary enzyme to produce arachidonic acid, the fatty acid precursor of these endocannabinoids.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of Kuopio, P. O. Box 1627, FI-70211 Kuopio.
authors.forename: Marko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lehtonen
authors.forename: Kaja
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Reisner
authors.forename: Seppo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Auriola
authors.forename: Garry
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.forename: James C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Callaway
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001095:Arachidonic Acids / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry*; D063385:Cannabinoid Receptor Modulators / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry*; D063388:Endocannabinoids; D005989:Glycerides / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry*; D009348:Nematoda / Q000737:chemistry*; D053284:Polyunsaturated Alkamides / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry*; D021241:Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization
chemical_list: D001095:Arachidonic Acids; D063385:Cannabinoid Receptor Modulators; D063388:Endocannabinoids; D005989:Glycerides; D053284:Polyunsaturated Alkamides; C094503:glyceryl 2-arachidonate; C078814:anandamide