ABSTRACT
Anandamide (arachidonylethanolamide) was the first cannabimimetic substance identified in mammalian brain. Anandamide is released from brain neurons in an activity-dependent manner through a mechanism that involves phosphodiesterase-mediated cleavage of the membrane phospholipid precursor, N-arachidonyl phosphatidylethanolamine (PE). Additional acylethanolamides (or N-acylethanolamines, AEs) with distinctive cannabimimetic and noncannabimimetic activities have been identified, suggesting that anandamide belongs to a broader family of signaling lipids acting not only in brain, but also in peripheral tissues. This chapter describes a series of methodological approaches for the extraction, purification, and analysis of anandamide and related AEs. Extraction into an organic solvent is generally used as a first step in the analysis of AEs, and has several advantages: it eliminates contaminants, allowing for a subsequent satisfactory purification; it concentrates material and improves the sensitivity of the analysis.
