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Joel E Schlosburg,
Jacqueline L Blankman,
Jonathan Z Long, Daniel K Nomura,
Bin Pan,
Steven G Kinsey,
Peter T Nguyen,
Divya Ramesh,
Lamont Booker,
James J Burston,
Elizabeth A Thomas,
Dana E Selley,
Laura J Sim-Selley,
Qing-song Liu,
Aron H Lichtman,
Benjamin F Cravatt
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ABSTRACT: Cancer cells possess fundamentally altered metabolism that provides a foundation to support tumorigenicity and malignancy. Our understanding of the biochemical underpinnings of cancer has benefited from the integrated utilization of large-scale profiling platforms (e.g., genomics, proteomics, and metabolomics), which, together, can provide a global assessment of how enzymes and their parent metabolic networks become altered in cancer to fuel tumor growth. This review presents several examples of how these integrated platforms have yielded fundamental insights into dysregulated metabolism in cancer. We will also discuss questions and challenges that must be addressed to more completely describe, and eventually control, the diverse metabolic pathways that support tumorigenesis.
Cell metabolism 10/2012; · 17.35 Impact Factor
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Daniel K Nomura,
Bradley E Morrison,
Jacqueline L Blankman,
Jonathan Z Long,
Steven G Kinsey,
Maria Cecilia G Marcondes,
Anna M Ward,
Yun Kyung Hahn,
Aron H Lichtman,
Bruno Conti,
Benjamin F Cravatt
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ABSTRACT: Phospholipase A(2)(PLA(2)) enzymes are considered the primary source of arachidonic acid for cyclooxygenase (COX)-mediated biosynthesis of prostaglandins. Here, we show that a distinct pathway exists in brain, where monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL) hydrolyzes the endocannabinoid 2-arachidonoylglycerol to generate a major arachidonate precursor pool for neuroinflammatory prostaglandins. MAGL-disrupted animals show neuroprotection in a parkinsonian mouse model. These animals are spared the hemorrhaging caused by COX inhibitors in the gut, where prostaglandins are instead regulated by cytosolic PLA(2). These findings identify MAGL as a distinct metabolic node that couples endocannabinoid to prostaglandin signaling networks in the nervous system and suggest that inhibition of this enzyme may be a new and potentially safer way to suppress the proinflammatory cascades that underlie neurodegenerative disorders.
Science 11/2011; 334(6057):809-13. · 31.20 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Cancer cells couple heightened lipogenesis with lipolysis to produce fatty acid networks that support malignancy. Monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL) plays a principal role in this process by converting monoglycerides, including the endocannabinoid 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG), to free fatty acids. Here, we show that MAGL is elevated in androgen-independent versus androgen-dependent human prostate cancer cell lines, and that pharmacological or RNA-interference disruption of this enzyme impairs prostate cancer aggressiveness. These effects were partially reversed by treatment with fatty acids or a cannabinoid receptor-1 (CB1) antagonist, and fully reversed by cotreatment with both agents. We further show that MAGL is part of a gene signature correlated with epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition and the stem-like properties of cancer cells, supporting a role for this enzyme in protumorigenic metabolism that, for prostate cancer, involves the dual control of endocannabinoid and fatty acid pathways.
Chemistry & biology 07/2011; 18(7):846-56. · 6.52 Impact Factor
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Kay Ahn,
Sarah E Smith,
Marya B Liimatta,
David Beidler,
Nalini Sadagopan,
David T Dudley,
Tim Young,
Paul Wren,
Yanhua Zhang,
Steven Swaney,
Keri Van Becelaere,
Jacqueline L Blankman, Daniel K Nomura,
Shobha N Bhattachar,
Cory Stiff,
Tyzoon K Nomanbhoy,
Eranthie Weerapana,
Douglas S Johnson,
Benjamin F Cravatt
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ABSTRACT: The endogenous cannabinoid (endocannabinoid) anandamide is principally degraded by the integral membrane enzyme fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH). Pharmacological blockade of FAAH has emerged as a potentially attractive strategy for augmenting endocannabinoid signaling and retaining the beneficial effects of cannabinoid receptor activation, while avoiding the undesirable side effects, such as weight gain and impairments in cognition and motor control, observed with direct cannabinoid receptor 1 agonists. Here, we report the detailed mechanistic and pharmacological characterization of N-pyridazin-3-yl-4-(3-{[5-(trifluoromethyl)pyridin-2-yl]oxy}benzylidene)piperidine-1-carboxamide (PF-04457845), a highly efficacious and selective FAAH inhibitor. Mechanistic studies confirm that PF-04457845 is a time-dependent, covalent FAAH inhibitor that carbamylates FAAH's catalytic serine nucleophile. PF-04457845 inhibits human FAAH with high potency (k(inact)/K(i) = 40,300 M(-1)s(-1); IC(50) = 7.2 nM) and is exquisitely selective in vivo as determined by activity-based protein profiling. Oral administration of PF-04457845 produced potent antinociceptive effects in both inflammatory [complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA)] and noninflammatory (monosodium iodoacetate) pain models in rats, with a minimum effective dose of 0.1 mg/kg (CFA model). PF-04457845 displayed a long duration of action as a single oral administration at 1 mg/kg showed in vivo efficacy for 24 h with a concomitant near-complete inhibition of FAAH activity and maximal sustained elevation of anandamide in brain. Significantly, PF-04457845-treated mice at 10 mg/kg elicited no effect in motility, catalepsy, and body temperature. Based on its exceptional selectivity and in vivo efficacy, combined with long duration of action and optimal pharmacokinetic properties, PF-04457845 is a clinical candidate for the treatment of pain and other nervous system disorders.
Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics 07/2011; 338(1):114-24. · 3.83 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are commonly used analgesics, but can cause gastric and esophageal hemorrhages, erosion, and ulceration. The endogenous cannabinoid (endocannabinoid; eCB) system possesses several potential targets to reduce gastric inflammatory states, including cannabinoid receptor type 1 (CB(1)), cannabinoid receptor type 2 (CB(2)), and enzymes that regulate the eCB ligands 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) and N-arachidonoyl ethanolamine (anandamide; AEA). In the presented study, we tested whether 4-nitrophenyl 4-(dibenzo[d][1,3]dioxol-5-yl(hydroxy)methyl)piperidine-1-carboxylate (JZL184), a selective inhibitor of the primary catabolic enzyme of 2-AG, monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL), would protect against NSAID-induced gastric damage. Food-deprived mice administered the nonselective cyclooxygenase inhibitor diclofenac sodium displayed gastric hemorrhages and increases in proinflammatory cytokines. JZL184, the proton pump inhibitor omeprazole (positive control), or the primary constituent of marijuana, Δ(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), significantly prevented diclofenac-induced gastric hemorrhages. JZL184 also increased stomach levels of 2-AG, but had no effect on AEA, arachidonic acid, or the prostaglandins E(2) and D(2). MAGL inhibition fully blocked diclofenac-induced increases in gastric levels of proinflammatory cytokines interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor α, and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, as well as IL-10. Pharmacological inhibition or genetic deletion of CB(1) or CB(2) revealed that the gastroprotective effects of JZL184 and THC were mediated via CB(1). The antihemorrhagic effects of JZL184 persisted with repeated administration, indicating a lack of tolerance. These data indicate that increasing 2-AG protects against gastric damage induced by NSAIDs, and its primary catabolic enzyme MAGL offers a promising target for the development of analgesic therapeutics possessing gastroprotective properties.
Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics 06/2011; 338(3):795-802. · 3.83 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Cancer cells show alterations in metabolism that support malignancy and disease progression. Prominent among these metabolic changes is elevations in neutral ether lipids (NELs). We have previously shown that the hydrolytic enzyme KIAA1363 (or AADACL1) is highly elevated in aggressive cancer cells, where it plays a key role in generating the monoalkylglycerol ether (MAGE) class of NELs. Here, we use activity-based protein profiling-guided medicinal chemistry to discover a highly potent and selective inhibitor of KIAA1363, the carbamate JW480. We show that JW480, and an shRNA probe that targets KIAA1363, reduce MAGEs and impair the migration, invasion, survival, and in vivo tumor growth of human prostate cancer cell lines. These findings indicate that the KIAA1363-MAGE pathway is important for prostate cancer pathogenesis and designate JW480 as a versatile pharmacological probe for disrupting this pro-tumorigenic metabolic pathway.
Chemistry & biology 04/2011; 18(4):476-84. · 6.52 Impact Factor
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Daniel A Bachovchin,
Justin T Mohr,
Anna E Speers,
Chu Wang,
Jacob M Berlin,
Timothy P Spicer,
Virneliz Fernandez-Vega,
Peter Chase,
Peter S Hodder,
Stephan C Schürer, Daniel K Nomura,
Hugh Rosen,
Gregory C Fu,
Benjamin F Cravatt
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ABSTRACT: National Institutes of Health (NIH)-sponsored screening centers provide academic researchers with a special opportunity to pursue small-molecule probes for protein targets that are outside the current interest of, or beyond the standard technologies employed by, the pharmaceutical industry. Here, we describe the outcome of an inhibitor screen for one such target, the enzyme protein phosphatase methylesterase-1 (PME-1), which regulates the methylesterification state of protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) and is implicated in cancer and neurodegeneration. Inhibitors of PME-1 have not yet been described, which we attribute, at least in part, to a dearth of substrate assays compatible with high-throughput screening. We show that PME-1 is assayable by fluorescence polarization-activity-based protein profiling (fluopol-ABPP) and use this platform to screen the 300,000+ member NIH small-molecule library. This screen identified an unusual class of compounds, the aza-β-lactams (ABLs), as potent (IC(50) values of approximately 10 nM), covalent PME-1 inhibitors. Interestingly, ABLs did not derive from a commercial vendor but rather an academic contribution to the public library. We show using competitive-ABPP that ABLs are exquisitely selective for PME-1 in living cells and mice, where enzyme inactivation leads to substantial reductions in demethylated PP2A. In summary, we have combined advanced synthetic and chemoproteomic methods to discover a class of ABL inhibitors that can be used to selectively perturb PME-1 activity in diverse biological systems. More generally, these results illustrate how public screening centers can serve as hubs to create spontaneous collaborative opportunities between synthetic chemistry and chemical biology labs interested in creating first-in-class pharmacological probes for challenging protein targets.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 03/2011; 108(17):6811-6. · 9.68 Impact Factor
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K C Nicolaou,
Silvano Sanchini,
David Sarlah,
Gang Lu,
T Robert Wu, Daniel K Nomura,
Benjamin F Cravatt,
Beatrice Cubitt,
Juan C de la Torre,
Ann J Hessell,
Dennis R Burton
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ABSTRACT: Modern drug discovery efforts rely, to a large extent, on lead compounds from two classes of small organic molecules; namely, natural products (i.e., secondary metabolites) and designed compounds (i.e., synthetic molecules). In this article, we demonstrate how these two domains of lead compounds can be merged through total synthesis and molecular design of analogs patterned after the targeted natural products, whose promising biological properties provide the motivation. Specifically, the present study targeted the naturally occurring biyouyanagins A and B and their analogs through modular chemical synthesis and led to the discovery of small organic molecules possessing anti-HIV and anti-arenavirus properties.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 01/2011; 108(17):6715-20. · 9.68 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Endocannabinoids regulate energy balance and lipid metabolism by stimulating the cannabinoid receptor type 1 (CB1). Genetic deletion and pharmacological antagonism have shown that CB1 signaling is necessary for the development of obesity and related metabolic disturbances. However, the sufficiency of endogenously produced endocannabinoids to cause hepatic lipid accumulation and insulin resistance, independent of food intake, has not been demonstrated. Here, we show that a single administration of isopropyl dodecylfluorophosphonate (IDFP), perhaps the most potent pharmacological inhibitor of endocannabinoid degradation, increases hepatic triglycerides (TG) and induces insulin resistance in mice. These effects involve increased CB1 signaling, as they are mitigated by pre-administration of a CB1 antagonist (AM251) and in CB1 knockout mice. Despite the strong physiological effects of CB1 on hepatic lipid and glucose metabolism, little is known about the downstream targets responsible for these effects. To elucidate transcriptional targets of CB1 signaling, we performed microarrays on hepatic RNA isolated from DMSO (control), IDFP and AM251/IDFP-treated mice. The gene for the secreted glycoprotein lipocalin 2 (lcn2), which has been implicated in obesity and insulin resistance, was among those most responsive to alterations in CB1 signaling. The expression pattern of IDFP mice segregated from DMSO mice in hierarchal cluster analysis and AM251 pre-administration reduced (>50%) the majority (303 of 533) of the IDFP induced alterations. Pathway analysis revealed that IDFP altered expression of genes involved in lipid, fatty acid and steroid metabolism, the acute phase response, and amino acid metabolism in a CB1-dependent manner. PCR confirmed array results of key target genes in multiple independent experiments. Overall, we show that acute IDFP treatment induces hepatic TG accumulation and insulin resistance, at least in part through the CB1 receptor, and identify novel cannabinoid responsive genes.
PLoS ONE 01/2011; 6(11):e26415. · 4.09 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Large-scale profiling methods have uncovered numerous gene and protein expression changes that correlate with tumorigenesis. However, determining the relevance of these expression changes and which biochemical pathways they affect has been hindered by our incomplete understanding of the proteome and its myriad functions and modes of regulation. Activity-based profiling platforms enable both the discovery of cancer-relevant enzymes and selective pharmacological probes to perturb and characterize these proteins in tumour cells. When integrated with other large-scale profiling methods, activity-based proteomics can provide insight into the metabolic and signalling pathways that support cancer pathogenesis and illuminate new strategies for disease diagnosis and treatment.
Nature Reviews Cancer 09/2010; 10(9):630-8. · 29.54 Impact Factor
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Joel E Schlosburg,
Jacqueline L Blankman,
Jonathan Z Long, Daniel K Nomura,
Bin Pan,
Steven G Kinsey,
Peter T Nguyen,
Divya Ramesh,
Lamont Booker,
James J Burston,
Elizabeth A Thomas,
Dana E Selley,
Laura J Sim-Selley,
Qing-song Liu,
Aron H Lichtman,
Benjamin F Cravatt
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ABSTRACT: Prolonged exposure to drugs of abuse, such as cannabinoids and opioids, leads to pharmacological tolerance and receptor desensitization in the nervous system. We found that a similar form of functional antagonism was produced by sustained inactivation of monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL), the principal degradative enzyme for the endocannabinoid 2-arachidonoylglycerol. After repeated administration, the MAGL inhibitor JZL184 lost its analgesic activity and produced cross-tolerance to cannabinoid receptor (CB1) agonists in mice, effects that were phenocopied by genetic disruption of Mgll (encoding MAGL). Chronic MAGL blockade also caused physical dependence, impaired endocannabinoid-dependent synaptic plasticity and desensitized brain CB1 receptors. These data contrast with blockade of fatty acid amide hydrolase, an enzyme that degrades the other major endocannabinoid anandamide, which produced sustained analgesia without impairing CB1 receptors. Thus, individual endocannabinoids generate distinct analgesic profiles that are either sustained or transitory and associated with agonism and functional antagonism of the brain cannabinoid system, respectively.
Nature Neuroscience 09/2010; 13(9):1113-9. · 15.53 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: GDE1 is a mammalian glycerophosphodiesterase (GDE) implicated by in vitro studies in the regulation of glycerophophoinositol (GroPIns) and possibly other glycerophospho (GroP) metabolites. Here, we show using untargeted metabolomics that GroPIns is profoundly (>20-fold) elevated in brain tissue from GDE1(-/-) mice. Furthermore, two additional GroP metabolites not previously identified in eukaryotic cells, glycerophosphoserine (GroPSer) and glycerophosphoglycerate (GroPGate), were also highly elevated in GDE1(-/-) brains. Enzyme assays with synthetic GroP metabolites confirmed that GroPSer and GroPGate are direct substrates of GDE1. Interestingly, our metabolomic profiles also revealed that serine (both L-and D-) levels were significantly reduced in brains of GDE1(-/-) mice. These findings designate GroPSer as a previously unappreciated reservoir for free serine in the nervous system and suggest that GDE1, through recycling serine from GroPSer, may impact D-serine-dependent neural signaling processes in vivo.
Chemistry & biology 08/2010; 17(8):831-40. · 6.52 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Organophosphorus (OP) and thiocarbamate (TC) agrochemicals are used worldwide as insecticides, herbicides, and fungicides, but their safety assessment in terms of potential off-targets remains incomplete. In this study, a chemoproteomic platform, termed activity-based protein profiling, was used to broadly define serine hydrolase targets in mouse brain of a panel of 29 OP and TC pesticides. Among the secondary targets identified, enzymes involved in the degradation of endocannabinoid signaling lipids, monoacylglycerol lipase, and fatty acid amide hydrolase were inhibited by several OP and TC pesticides. Blockade of these two enzymes led to elevations in brain endocannabinoid levels and dysregulated brain arachidonate metabolism. Other secondary targets include enzymes thought to also play important roles in the nervous system and unannotated proteins. This study reveals a multitude of secondary targets for OP and TC pesticides and underscores the utility of chemoproteomic platforms in gaining insights into biochemical pathways that are perturbed by these toxicants.
Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 07/2010; 59(7):2808-15. · 2.82 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Tumor cells display progressive changes in metabolism that correlate with malignancy, including development of a lipogenic phenotype. How stored fats are liberated and remodeled to support cancer pathogenesis, however, remains unknown. Here, we show that the enzyme monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL) is highly expressed in aggressive human cancer cells and primary tumors, where it regulates a fatty acid network enriched in oncogenic signaling lipids that promotes migration, invasion, survival, and in vivo tumor growth. Overexpression of MAGL in nonaggressive cancer cells recapitulates this fatty acid network and increases their pathogenicity-phenotypes that are reversed by an MAGL inhibitor. Impairments in MAGL-dependent tumor growth are rescued by a high-fat diet, indicating that exogenous sources of fatty acids can contribute to malignancy in cancers lacking MAGL activity. Together, these findings reveal how cancer cells can co-opt a lipolytic enzyme to translate their lipogenic state into an array of protumorigenic signals. PAPERFLICK:
Cell 01/2010; 140(1):49-61. · 32.40 Impact Factor
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Jonathan Z Long, Daniel K Nomura,
Robert E Vann,
D Matthew Walentiny,
Lamont Booker,
Xin Jin,
James J Burston,
Laura J Sim-Selley,
Aron H Lichtman,
Jenny L Wiley,
Benjamin F Cravatt
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ABSTRACT: Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive component of marijuana, and other direct cannabinoid receptor (CB1) agonists produce a number of neurobehavioral effects in mammals that range from the beneficial (analgesia) to the untoward (abuse potential). Why, however, this full spectrum of activities is not observed upon pharmacological inhibition or genetic deletion of either fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) or monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL), enzymes that regulate the two major endocannabinoids anandamide (AEA) and 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG), respectively, has remained unclear. Here, we describe a selective and efficacious dual FAAH/MAGL inhibitor, JZL195, and show that this agent exhibits broad activity in the tetrad test for CB1 agonism, causing analgesia, hypomotilty, and catalepsy. Comparison of JZL195 to specific FAAH and MAGL inhibitors identified behavioral processes that were regulated by a single endocannabinoid pathway (e.g., hypomotility by the 2-AG/MAGL pathway) and, interestingly, those where disruption of both FAAH and MAGL produced additive effects that were reversed by a CB1 antagonist. Falling into this latter category was drug discrimination behavior, where dual FAAH/MAGL blockade, but not disruption of either FAAH or MAGL alone, produced THC-like responses that were reversed by a CB1 antagonist. These data indicate that AEA and 2-AG signaling pathways interact to regulate specific behavioral processes in vivo, including those relevant to drug abuse, thus providing a potential mechanistic basis for the distinct pharmacological profiles of direct CB1 agonists and inhibitors of individual endocannabinoid degradative enzymes.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 11/2009; 106(48):20270-5. · 9.68 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL) is a principal degradative enzyme for the endocannabinoid 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG). We recently reported a piperidine carbamate, JZL184, that inhibits MAGL with high potency and selectivity. Here, we describe a comprehensive mechanistic characterization of JZL184. We provide evidence that JZL184 irreversibly inhibits MAGL via carbamoylation of the enzyme's serine nucleophile. Functional proteomic analysis of mice treated with JZL184 revealed that this inhibitor maintains good selectivity for MAGL across a wide range of central and peripheral tissues. Interestingly, MAGL blockade produced marked, tissue-specific differences in monoglyceride metabolism, with brain showing the most dramatic elevations in 2-AG and peripheral tissues often showing greater changes in other monoglycerides. Collectively, these studies indicate that MAGL exerts tissue-dependent control over endocannabinoid and monoglyceride metabolism and designate JZL184 as a selective tool to characterize the functions of MAGL in vivo.
Chemistry & biology 08/2009; 16(7):744-53. · 6.52 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: The endocannabinoid (EC) system regulates food intake and energy metabolism. Cannabinoid receptor type 1 (CB1) antagonists show promise in the treatment of obesity and its metabolic consequences. Although the reduction in adiposity resulting from therapy with CB1 antagonists may not account fully for the concomitant improvements in dyslipidemia, direct effects of overactive EC signaling on plasma lipoprotein metabolism have not been documented. The present study used a chemical approach to evaluate the direct effects of increased EC signaling in mice by inducing acute elevations of endogenously produced cannabinoids through pharmacological inhibition of their enzymatic hydrolysis by isopropyl dodecylfluorophosphonate (IDFP). Acute IDFP treatment increased plasma levels of triglyceride (TG) (2.0- to 3.1-fold) and cholesterol (1.3- to 1.4-fold) in conjunction with an accumulation in plasma of apolipoprotein (apo)E-depleted TG-rich lipoproteins. These changes did not occur in either CB1-null or apoE-null mice, were prevented by pretreatment with CB1 antagonists, and were not associated with reduced hepatic apoE gene expression. Although IDFP treatment increased hepatic mRNA levels of lipogenic genes (Srebp1 and Fas), there was no effect on TG secretion into plasma. Instead, IDFP treatment impaired clearance of an intravenously administered TG emulsion, despite increased postheparin lipoprotein lipase activity. Therefore, overactive EC signaling elicits an increase in plasma triglyceride levels associated with reduced plasma TG clearance and an accumulation in plasma of apoE-depleted TG-rich lipoproteins. These findings suggest a role of CB1 activation in the pathogenesis of obesity-related hypertriglyceridemia and underscore the potential efficacy of CB1 antagonists in treating metabolic disease.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 10/2008; 105(38):14561-6. · 9.68 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: The structure-activity relationships of organophosphorus (OP) and organosulfur compounds were examined in vitro and in vivo as inhibitors of mouse brain monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL) hydrolysis of 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) and agonist binding at the CB1 receptor. Several compounds showed exceptional potency toward MAGL activity with IC(50) values of 0.1-10 nM in vitro and high inhibition at 10mg/kg intraperitoneally in mice. We find for the first time that MAGL activity is a major in vivo determinant of 2-AG and arachidonic acid levels not only in brain but also in spleen, lung, and liver. Apparent direct OP inhibition of CB1 agonist binding may be due instead to metabolic stabilization of 2-AG in brain membranes as the actual inhibitor.
Bioorganic & medicinal chemistry letters 09/2008; 18(22):5875-8. · 2.65 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive ingredient of marijuana, has useful medicinal properties but also undesirable side effects. The brain receptor for THC, CB(1), is also activated by the endogenous cannabinoids anandamide and 2-arachidonylglycerol (2-AG). Augmentation of endocannabinoid signaling by blockade of their metabolism may offer a more selective pharmacological approach compared with CB(1) agonists. Consistent with this premise, inhibitors of the anandamide-degrading enzyme fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) produce analgesic and anxiolytic effects without cognitive defects. In contrast, we show that dual blockade of the endocannabinoid-degrading enzymes monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL) and FAAH by selected organophosphorus agents leads to greater than ten-fold elevations in brain levels of both 2-AG and anandamide and to robust CB(1)-dependent behavioral effects that mirror those observed with CB(1) agonists. Arachidonic acid levels are decreased by the organophosphorus agents in amounts equivalent to elevations in 2-AG, which indicates that endocannabinoid and eicosanoid signaling pathways may be coordinately regulated in the brain.
Nature Chemical Biology 07/2008; 4(6):373-8. · 14.69 Impact Factor
