N-Acylphosphatidylethanolamine

N-Acylphosphatidylethanolamines (NAPEs) are hormones released by the small intestine into the bloodstream when it processes fat. NAPEs travels to the hypothalamus in the brain and suppress appetite. This mechanism could be relevant for treating obesity.^[1]

Endocannabinoid precursor

N-Acylphosphatidylethanolamines are also an important intermediaries in the biosynthesis of endocannabinoids.

NAPEs are formed from phosphatidylethanolamine, a cell membrane phospholipid characteristic of nervous tissue. After being cleaved by phospholipases, NAPEs can be transformed into N-acylethanolamines, including the endocannabinoid anandamide.^[2][3]

References

1. ^ Dunham, Will (Nov 26, 2008). "Gut chemical may inspire new way to fight obesity". Reuters Accessed 27 Nov. 2008
2. ^ Okamoto, Y.; Morishita, J.; Tsuboi, K.; Tonai, T.; Ueda, N. (2004). "Molecular characterization of a phospholipase D generating anandamide and its congeners.". The Journal of biological chemistry 279 (7): 5298–5305. doi:10.1074/jbc.M306642200. PMID 14634025.  edit
3. ^ Liu, J.; Wang, L.; Harvey-White, J.; Osei-Hyiaman, D.; Razdan, R.; Gong, Q.; Chan, A.; Zhou, Z. et al. (2006). "A biosynthetic pathway for anandamide". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 103 (36): 13345–13350. Bibcode 2006PNAS..10313345L. doi:10.1073/pnas.0601832103. PMC 1557387. PMID 16938887. http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pmcentrez&artid=1557387.  edit