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J. Biol. Chem., Vol. 282, Issue 11, 7885-7892, March 16, 2007

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Anandamide Protects from Low Serum-induced Apoptosis via Its Degradation to Ethanolamine^*

From the Department of Neurobiology, Weizmann Institute of Science, 76100 Rehovot, Israel

Anandamide (AEA) is a lipid molecule belonging to the family of endocannabinoids. Various studies report neuroprotective activity of AEA against toxic insults, such as ischemic conditions and excitotoxicity, whereas some show that AEA has pro-apoptotic effects. Here we have shown that AEA confers a protective activity in N18TG2 murine neuroblastoma cells subjected to low serum-induced apoptosis. We have demonstrated that the protection from apoptosis by AEA is not mediated via the CB1 receptor, the CB2 receptor, or the vanilloid receptor 1. Interestingly, breakdown of AEA by fatty acid amide hydrolase is required for the protective effect of AEA. Furthermore, the ethanolamine (EA) generated in this reaction is the metabolite responsible for the protective response. The elevation in the levels of reactive oxygen species during low serum-induced apoptosis is not affected by AEA or EA. On the other hand, AEA and EA reduce caspase 3/7 activity, and AEA attenuates the cleavage of PARP-1. Taken together, our results demonstrate a role for AEA and EA in the protection against low serum-induced apoptosis.

Received for publication, September 7, 2006 , and in revised form, January 8, 2007.

^* This work was supported by the Nella and Leon Benoziyo Center for the Neurosciences, the Levine Trust, the Miriam and Sheldon Adelson Program for Nerve Regeneration and Repair, and by the Israel Anti-drug Authority. The costs of publication of this article were defrayed in part by the payment of page charges. This article must therefore be hereby marked "advertisement" in accordance with 18 U.S.C. Section 1734 solely to indicate this fact.

¹ Supported by the Israeli Ministry of Scientists' Absorption.

² Incumbent of the Ruth and Leonard Simon Chair for Cancer Research. To whom correspondence should be addressed: Dept. of Neurobiology, Weizmann Institute of Science, 76100 Rehovot, Israel. Tel.: 972-8-9344539; Fax: 972-8-9344131; E-mail: zvi.vogel{at}weizmann.ac.il.

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