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Manipulation of the endocannabinoid system by a general anaesthetic
Author(s) -
Di Marzo Vincenzo
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
british journal of pharmacology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.432
H-Index - 211
eISSN - 1476-5381
pISSN - 0007-1188
DOI - 10.1038/sj.bjp.0705333
Subject(s) - endocannabinoid system , anandamide , fatty acid amide hydrolase , 2 arachidonoylglycerol , sedative , pharmacology , monoacylglycerol lipase , medicine , general anaesthetic , neuroscience , cannabinoid receptor , chemistry , psychology , anesthesia , general anaesthesia , antagonist , receptor
An article appearing in this issue of the British Journal of Pharmacology shows for the first time that the general anaesthetic propofol inhibits one of the enzymes catalysing endocannabinoid hydrolysis and inactivation, the fatty acid amide hydrolase, thereby enhancing the brain levels of anandamide and 2‐arachidonoylglycerol in mouse brain. The authors provide evidence that this effect of propofol underlies part of the sedative effects of this compound. The importance of these findings in the light of the likely role of the endocannabinoid system in the control of sleep–wake cycles, and of the possibility of developing therapeutic drugs from substances that manipulate endocannabinoid levels, is discussed. British Journal of Pharmacology (2003) 139 , 885–886. doi: 10.1038/sj.bjp.0705333