As chemical entities, lipoamino acids have been known for some time. However, more recently their occurrence and importance in mammalian species has been discovered. They appear to have close relationships with the endocannabinoids not only structurally but also in terms of biological actions. The latter include analgesia, anti-inflammatory effects, inhibition of cell proliferation and calcium ion mobilization. To date about 40 naturally occurring members of this family have been identified and, additionally, several synthetic analogs have been prepared and studied. To facilitate their identity, a nomenclature system has been suggested based on the name elmiric acid (EMA). The prototypic example, N-arachidonoyl glycine does not bind to CBI, however it does inhibit the glycine transporter GLYT2a and also appears to be a ligand for the orphan G-protein-coupled receptor GPRI8. It may also have a role in regulating tissue levels of anandamide by virtue of its inhibitory effect on FAAH the enzyme that mediates inactivation of anandamide. Its concentration in rat brain is several times higher than anandamide supporting its possible role as a physiological mediator. Future studies should be aimed at elucidating the actions of all of the members of this interesting family of molecules and gaining further insight into possible mechanisms of action. A promising use for these compounds would be as narcotic replacement agents.
LAY SUMMARY The relief of pain resulting from chronic inflammation remains a major challenge for the medical community. Many of the drugs used in difficult cases fall into the category of narcotic agents, and, as such, have serious undesirable side effects. These include diminished efficacy with long-term use, physical dependency and an increased risk for addiction and abuse. Thus, there is an acute need for novel drugs that provide pain relief without these negative effects. One approach to this problem is to resolve the inflammation that, in turn, should decrease pain. This is in contrast to treatment with narcotics that focus only on pain rather than its cause. In this grant proposal, a newly discovered family of compounds called elmiric acids will be studied with the goal of providing long-term reduction of the inflammatory response. These compounds not only have novel chemical structures, but also appear to act by mechanisms different than the narcotics. A better understanding of these mechanisms is an important objective of this project. The data obtained thus far indicate that this is an obtainable aim and that new and innovative drugs will result.
| Burstein, Sumner; McQuain, Catherine; Salmonsen, Rebecca et al. (2012) N-Amino acid linoleoyl conjugates: anti-inflammatory activities. Bioorg Med Chem Lett 22:872-5 |
| Burstein, Sumner H; McQuain, Catherine A; Ross, Alonzo H et al. (2011) Resolution of inflammation by N-arachidonoylglycine. J Cell Biochem 112:3227-33 |
