- Improved enzymatic procedure for the synthesis of anandamide and N-fatty acylalkanolamine analogues: A combination strategy to antitumor activity
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Twenty N-fatty acylamines from linolenic and arachidonic acids, fifteen of them new compounds, were obtained through Candida antarctica B lipase-catalyzed esterification and aminolysis reactions in very good yields and with high chemoselectivity. The optimal reaction conditions were achieved by studying the reaction parameters (temperature, E/S ratio, alcohol and alkanolamine/fatty acid ratio, time, solvent, free-solvent system, etc.). To identify ideal enzymatic methods for generating the alkanolamides we evaluated enzyme performance in three procedures: i) aminolysis of ethyl ester, ii) direct condensation between the fatty acid and the alkanolamine, and iii) a one-pot/two-step conversion of fatty acids into alkanolamides via in situ formation of the ethyl ester and subsequent aminolysis by the alkanolamine. The advantages noted with the enzymatic methodology, such as mild reaction conditions and low environmental impact, underscore biocatalysis as a convenient way to prepare the reported compounds. The cytotoxic activities of all compounds and mixtures of anandamide and its analogues were evaluated in rat glioma C6 cells. These studies reveal that some anandamide analogues enhance the antitumor effects of anandamide, suggesting their possible application as therapeutic tools in cancer treatment. Twenty N-fatty acylamines from linolenic and arachidonic acids were obtained by one-pot/two-step Candida antarctica B lipase-catalyzed esterification and aminolysis reactions in very good yields with high chemoselectivity. Cytotoxicity assays using rat glioma C6 cells revealed that some analogues enhanced the antitumor effects of anandamide (AEA), suggesting possible anticancer applications.
- Quintana, Paula G.,Garca Liares, Guadalupe,Chanquia, Santiago N.,Gorojod, Roxana M.,Kotler, Mnica L.,Baldessari, Alicia
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- (R)-methanandamide: A chiral novel anandamide possessing higher potency and metabolic stability
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Four chiral congeners of arachidonylethanolamide (anandamide) have been synthesized and evaluated for (a) their ability to bind to the cannabinoid receptor in rat forebrain membranes and (b) their pharmacological potency as measured by the compounds' ability to inhibit electrically-evoked contractions of the mouse vas deferens. The lead analog was also tested for its potency in vivo. Of the analogs tested, (R)-(+)-arachidonyl-1'-hydroxy- 2'-propylamide [(R)-methanandamide] exhibited the highest affinity for the cannabinoid receptor with a K(i) of 20 ± 1.6 nM, 4-fold lower than that of anandamide (K(i) = 78 ± 2 nM). Moreover, determination of the cannabinoid binding affinity in the presence and absence of the protease inhibitor phenylmethanesulfonyl fluoride (PMSF) revealed that (R)-methanandamide possesses a remarkable stability to aminopeptidase hydrolysis. Pharmacological studies on mouse isolated vasa deferentia demonstrated that all four analogs produce concentration-related inhibition of the twitch response and the order of potency is the same as the rank order of the affinities of these agonists for cannabinoid binding sites. Furthermore, experiments with mice have demonstrated that (R)-methanandamide also possesses cannabimimetric properties in vivo, as established by the four tests of hypothermia, hypokinesia, ring immobility, and antinociception.
- Abadji,Lin,Taha,Griffin,Stevenson,Pertwee,Makriyannis
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