title: Role of acylethanolamides in the gastrointestinal tract with special reference to food intake and energy balance.
abstract: Acylethanolamides (AEs) are a group of lipids occurring in both plants and animals. The best-studied AEs are the endocannabinoid anandamide (AEA), the anti-inflammatory compound palmitoylethanolamide (PEA), and the potent anorexigenic molecule oleoylethanolamide (OEA). AEs are biosynthesized in the gastrointestinal tract, and their levels may change in response to noxious stimuli, food deprivation or diet-induced obesity. The biological actions of AEs within the gut are not limited to the modulation of food intake and energy balance. For example, AEs exert potential beneficial effects in the regulation of intestinal motility, secretion, inflammation and cellular proliferation. Molecular targets of AEs, which have been identified in the gastrointestinal tract, include cannabinoid CB(1) and CB(2) receptors (activated by AEA), transient receptor potential vanilloid type 1 (TRPV1, activated by AEA and OEA), the nuclear receptor peroxisome proliferators-activated receptor-alpha (PPAR-alpha, activated by OEA and, to a less extent, by PEA), and the orphan G-coupled receptors GPR119 (activated by OEA) and GPR55 (activated by PEA and, with lower potency, by AEA and OEA). Modulation of AE levels in the gut may provide new pharmacological strategies not only for the treatment of feeding disorders but also for the prevention or cure of widespread intestinal diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease and colon cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Pharmacology, University of Naples Federico II and Endocannabinoid Research Group, via D. Montesano 49, 80131 Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Borrelli
authors.forename: Angelo A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Izzo
mesh_terms: D000577:Amides / Q000494:pharmacology; D000700:Analgesics / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D001095:Arachidonic Acids / Q000502:physiology; D018938:Caco-2 Cells / Q000187:drug effects; D004041:Dietary Fats / Q000494:pharmacology; D004435:Eating / Q000187:drug effects*; D063388:Endocannabinoids; D004734:Energy Metabolism / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D019856:Ethanolamine / Q000494:pharmacology; D004983:Ethanolamines; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000187:drug effects; D005744:Gastric Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D041981:Gastrointestinal Tract / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007408:Intestinal Absorption / Q000187:drug effects; D050152:Intra-Abdominal Fat / Q000187:drug effects; D009829:Oleic Acids / Q000494:pharmacology; D010169:Palmitic Acids / Q000494:pharmacology; D047492:Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptors / Q000502:physiology; D053284:Polyunsaturated Alkamides; D050916:TRPV Cation Channels / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D000577:Amides; D000700:Analgesics; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D001095:Arachidonic Acids; D004041:Dietary Fats; D063388:Endocannabinoids; D004983:Ethanolamines; D009829:Oleic Acids; D010169:Palmitic Acids; D047492:Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptors; D053284:Polyunsaturated Alkamides; D050916:TRPV Cation Channels; C488250:oleoylethanolamide; D019856:Ethanolamine; C005958:palmidrol; C078814:anandamide