Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 21, 2026

Brain Slice Biotinylation: An Ex Vivo Approach to Measure Region-specific Plasma Membrane Protein Trafficking in Adult Neurons
Published on: April 3, 2014
Anandamide transport
Matthew J McFarland1, Eric L Barker
1Department of Medical Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Purdue University, 575 Stadium Mall Drive, West Lafayette, IN 47907-2091, USA.
Abstract:
N-Arachidonylethanolamine (anandamide) is an endogenous agonist of the cannabinoid CB1 and CB2 receptors and displays many of the same receptor-mediated physiological effects as delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol (delta9-THC), the active component of marijuana. As with any neurotransmitter, there must be tight control of anandamide receptor-mediated signaling and a means of rapid removal of the molecule from the system. Thus, the process by which anandamide is transported into the cell for metabolism has been a topic of much interest and has been implicated as a potential drug target in the treatment of several disease states that are reported to have an association with the endocannabinoid system. In this review, we will discuss the current models proposed for the mechanism of anandamide transport, the progress that has been made in the development of compounds that specifically inhibit anandamide transport, the observed effects of anandamide transport inhibition in vivo, and finally, potential therapeutic applications of compounds that inhibit anandamide transport.
Related Concept Videos
Carrier-Mediated Transport
Active transport involves two types of membrane-spanning transporters: uptake and efflux. Uptake transporters are expressed in the small...
Drug Absorption Mechanism: Carrier-Mediated Membrane Transport
Facilitated diffusion is a passive process that utilizes human Solute Carrier (SLC) transporters. These transporters bind to the drug, undergo structural...
The Significance of Membrane Transport
Transporters facilitate either an active or passive movement of solutes. They can allow a single-molecule transport down its...
Active Transport
Primary active transporters, like Na+, K+ and -ATPase, directly utilize ATP to move ions across the membrane. These transporters play significant roles in various physiological processes. For instance, Na+, K+ and -ATPase maintain...
Drug Absorption Mechanism: Passive Membrane Transport
Mechanisms of Drug Absorption: Paracellular, Transcellular, and Vesicular Transport
However, most drugs use the transcellular route, traversing directly through the cell membranes via two mechanisms: passive and active transport. Passive...

