A. Fontana et al., ANALYSIS OF ANANDAMIDE, AN ENDOGENOUS CANNABINOID SUBSTANCE, AND OF OTHER NATURAL N-ACYLETHANOLAMINES, Prostaglandins, leukotrienes and essential fatty acids, 53(4), 1995, pp. 301-308
Recent reports have suggested that N-arachidonoylethanolamine (anandam
ide) acts as an endogenous ligand for cannabinoid receptors in mammali
an brain. Here we describe methods for the extraction, purification an
d analysis of anandamide and related N-fatty acyl-ethanolamines (NAEs)
. Liquid-phase extraction, silica gel G column chromatography and thin
-layer chromatography (TLC) were employed for sample fractionation. Th
ree analytical high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) methods f
or purification of NAEs were developed. Finally, analyses of NAEs by g
as chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) are described. The applica
tions of these analytical methods to the identification of anandamide
and related NAEs in cell cultures as well as of artifacts in biosynthe
tic studies are described.