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Updated: Aug 16, 2026
Preparation and In Vivo Use of an Activity-based Probe for N-acylethanolamine Acid Amidase
Published on: November 23, 2016
Anticonvulsant activity of N-palmitoylethanolamide, a putative endocannabinoid, in mice
D M Lambert1, S Vandevoorde, G Diependaele
1Unité de Chimie pharmaceutique et de Radiopharmacie, Ecole de Pharmacie, Université catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium. lambert@cmfa.ucl.ac.be
Purpose:
The purpose of this study was to evaluate in mice the anticonvulsant potential of N-palmitoylethanolamide, a putative endocannabinoid that accumulates in the body during inflammatory processes.
Methods:
N-palmitoylethanolamide was injected intraperitoneally (i.p.) in mice and evaluated for anticonvulsant activity [in maximal electroshock seizure (MES) and chemical-induced convulsions] and for neurologic impairment (rotorod). It was compared with anandamide and with different palmitic acid analogues as well as with reference anticonvulsants (AEDs) injected under the same conditions.
Results:
The MES test showed, after i.p. administration to mice, that N-palmitoy]ethanolamide had an median effective dose (ED50) value comparable to that of phenytoin (PHT; 8.9 and 9.2 mg/kg, respectively). In the subcutaneous pentylenetetrazol test and in the 3-mercaptropropionic acid test, it was effective only against tonic convulsions. N-palmitoylethanolamide was devoid of neurologic impairment < or = 250 mg/kg, yielding a high protective index.
Conclusions:
N-palmitoylethanolamide, an endogenous compound with antiinflammatory and analgesic activities, is a potent AED in mice. Its precise mechanism of action remains to be elucidated.
