title: Synthesis of oleoylethanolamide using lipase.
abstract: An effective process for the enzymatic synthesis of oleoylethanolamide is described in this study. The process included purification of a commercial oleic acid product and then optimization of the reaction between the purified oleic acid and ethanolamine in the presence of hexane and a lipase. Under the optimal amidation reaction conditions identified, oleoylethanolamide was obtained with 96.6% purity. The synthesis was also conducted on a large scale (50 mmol of each of the reactants), and oleoylethanolamide purity and yield after crystallization purification were 96.1 and 73.5%, respectively. Compared to the previous studies, the current method of preparing high-purity oleoylethanolamide is more effective and economically feasible. The scalability and ease for such synthesis make it possible to study the biological and nutritional functions of the cannabinoid-like oleoylethanolamide in animal or human subjects.
authors: State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, No 1800 Lihu Road, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214122, People's Republic of China.
authors: Xiaosan
authors: X
authors: Wang
authors: Xingguo
authors: X
authors: Wang
authors: Tong
authors: T
authors: Wang
mesh_terms: D002175:Candida / Q000201:enzymology; D063388:Endocannabinoids; D004800:Enzymes, Immobilized; D005656:Fungal Proteins / Q000737:chemistry*; D008049:Lipase / Q000737:chemistry*; D019301:Oleic Acid / Q000737:chemistry; D009829:Oleic Acids / Q000138:chemical synthesis*
chemical_list: D063388:Endocannabinoids; D004800:Enzymes, Immobilized; D005656:Fungal Proteins; D009829:Oleic Acids; C488250:oleoylethanolamide; D019301:Oleic Acid; C093667:Novozyme 435; D008049:Lipase