Editing Cannabinoid (section)

==== Arachidonoylethanolamine (Anandamide or AEA) ====
{{Main|Arachidonoylethanolamine}}
[[Anandamide]] was the first such compound identified as [[arachidonic acid|arachidonoyl]] ethanolamine. The name is derived from ''ananda'', the [[Sanskrit]] word for bliss. It has a pharmacology similar to [[Tetrahydrocannabinol|THC]], although its structure is quite different. Anandamide binds to the central (CB<sub>1</sub>) and, to a lesser extent, peripheral (CB<sub>2</sub>) cannabinoid receptors, where it acts as a partial agonist. Anandamide is about as potent as THC at the CB<sub>1</sub> receptor.<ref name="grotenhermen 2005">{{cite journal | vauthors = Grotenhermen F | title = Cannabinoids | journal = Current Drug Targets. CNS and Neurological Disorders | volume = 4 | issue = 5 | pages = 507–530 | date = October 2005 | pmid = 16266285 | doi = 10.2174/156800705774322111 }}</ref> Anandamide is found in nearly all tissues in a wide range of animals.<ref name="pmid10462059">{{cite journal | vauthors = Martin BR, Mechoulam R, Razdan RK | title = Discovery and characterization of endogenous cannabinoids | journal = Life Sciences | volume = 65 | issue = 6–7 | pages = 573–595 | year = 1999 | pmid = 10462059 | doi = 10.1016/S0024-3205(99)00281-7 }}</ref> Anandamide has also been found in plants, including small amounts in chocolate.<ref name="pmid8751435">{{cite journal | vauthors = di Tomaso E, Beltramo M, Piomelli D | title = Brain cannabinoids in chocolate | journal = Nature | volume = 382 | issue = 6593 | pages = 677–678 | date = August 1996 | pmid = 8751435 | doi = 10.1038/382677a0 | type = Submitted manuscript | s2cid = 4325706 | bibcode = 1996Natur.382..677D | url = https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2kk1604c | access-date = 2022-10-02 | archive-date = 2022-10-02 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20221002083834/https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2kk1604c | url-status = live }}</ref>

Two analogs of anandamide, [[docosatetraenoylethanolamide|7,10,13,16-docosatetraenoylethanolamide]] and ''homo''-γ-linolenoylethanolamine, have similar [[pharmacology]]. All of these compounds are members of a family of signalling lipids called [[N-acylethanolamine|''N''-acylethanolamines]], which also includes the noncannabimimetic [[palmitoylethanolamide]] and [[oleoylethanolamide]], which possess [[anti-inflammatory]] and [[anorexigenic]] effects, respectively. Many ''N''-acylethanolamines have also been identified in plant seeds<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Chapman KD, Venables B, Markovic R, Bettinger C | title = N-Acylethanolamines in seeds. Quantification Of molecular species and their degradation upon imbibition | journal = Plant Physiology | volume = 120 | issue = 4 | pages = 1157–1164 | date = August 1999 | pmid = 10444099 | pmc = 59349 | doi = 10.1104/pp.120.4.1157 }}</ref> and in molluscs.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Sepe N, De Petrocellis L, Montanaro F, Cimino G, Di Marzo V | title = Bioactive long chain N-acylethanolamines in five species of edible bivalve molluscs. Possible implications for mollusc physiology and sea food industry | journal = Biochimica et Biophysica Acta | volume = 1389 | issue = 2 | pages = 101–111 | date = January 1998 | pmid = 9461251 | doi = 10.1016/S0005-2760(97)00132-X }}</ref>