Fatty acid amide hydrolase substrate specificity

Fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH), also referred to as oleamide hydrolase a nd anandamide amidohydrolase, is a serine hydrolase responsible for the deg radation of endogenous oleamide and anandamide, fatty acid amides that func tion as chemical messengers. FAAH hydrolyzes a range of fatty acid amides, and the present study examines the relative rates of hydrolysis of a variet y of natural and unnatural fatty acid primary amide substrates using pure r ecombinant rat FAAH. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.