Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis of endogenous cannabinoids in healthy and tumoral human brain and human cells in culture

Citation
M. Maccarrone et al., Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis of endogenous cannabinoids in healthy and tumoral human brain and human cells in culture, J NEUROCHEM, 76(2), 2001, pp. 594-601
Citations number
56
Language
INGLESE
art.tipo
Article
Categorie Soggetti
Neurosciences & Behavoir
Journal title
JOURNAL OF NEUROCHEMISTRY
ISSN journal
0022-3042 → ACNP
Volume
76
Issue
2
Year of publication
2001
Pages
594 - 601
Database
ISI
SICI code
0022-3042(200101)76:2<594:GCSAOE>2.0.ZU;2-7
Abstract
Endocannabinoids are lipid mediators thought to modulate central and periph eral neural functions. We report here gas chromatography-electron impact ma ss spectrometry analysis of human brain, showing that lipid extracts contai n anandamide and 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG), the most active endocannabi noids known to date. Human brain also contained the endocannabinoid-like co mpounds N-oleoylethanolamine, N-palmitoylethanolamine and N-stearoylethanol amine. Anandamide and 2-AG (0.16 +/- 0.05 and 0.10 +/- 0.05 nmol/mg protein , respectively) represented 7.7% and 4.8% of total endocannabinoid-like com pounds, respectively. N-Palmitoyethanolamine was the most abundant (50%), f ollowed by N-oleoyl (23.6%) and N-stearoyl (13.9%) ethanolamines. A similar composition in endocannabinoid-like compounds was found in human neuroblas toma CHP100 and lymphoma U937 cells, and also in rat brain. Remarkably, hum an meningioma specimens showed an approximately six-fold smaller content of all N-acylethanolamines, but not of 2-AG, and a similar decrease was obser ved in a human glioblastoma. These ex vivo results fully support the purpor ted roles of endocannabinoids in the nervous system.