Anticonvulsant Activity Of N-Palmitoylethanolamide, A Putative Endocannabinoid

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Abstract
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.

Source: Anticonvulsant activity of N-palmitoylethanolamide... [Epilepsia. 2001] - PubMed - NCBI
 
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