Activity of anandamide (AEA) metabolic enzymes in rat placental bed

• Type: Article in International Scientific Journal
• Date: 2014

Authors

Fonseca, BM (Author) Other; Battista, N (Author) Other; Correia da Silva, G (Author) FFUP; Rapino, C (Author) Other; Maccarrone, M (Author) Other; Teixeira, NA (Author) FFUP

Journal

Title: Reproductive Toxicology

Vol. 49

Pages: 74-77

ISSN: 0890-6238

Publisher: Elsevier

Indexing

ISI Web of Knowledge - 4 Citations

Scopus - 6 Citations

Scientific classification

FOS: Medical and Health sciences > Basic medicine

Other information

Authenticus ID: P-009-TTE

DOI: 10.1016/j.reprotox.2014.07.078

Abstract (EN): Endocannabinoids are endogenous lipid mediators, with anandamide (AEA) being the first member identified. It is now widely accepted that AEA influences early pregnancy events and its levels, which primarily depend on its synthesis by an N-acyl-phosphatidylethanolamine-specific phospholipase D (NAPE-PLD) and degradation by a fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH), must be tightly regulated. Previous studies demonstrated that AEA levels require in situ regulation of these respective metabolic enzymes, and thus, any disturbance in AEA levels may impact maternal remodeling processes occurring during placental development. In this study, the activities of the AEA-metabolic enzymes that result in the establishment of proper local AEA levels during rat gestation were examined. Here, we demonstrate that during placentation NAPE-PLD and FAAH activities change in a temporal manner. Our findings suggest that NAPE-PLD and FAAH create the appropriate AEA levels required for tissue remodeling in the placental bed, a process essential to pregnancy maintenance.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

No. of pages: 4