Department of Biochemistry, Kagawa University School of Medicine, 1750-1 Ikenobe, Miki, Kagawa, Japan.
Prog Lipid Res. 2010 Oct;49(4):299-315. doi: 10.1016/j.plipres.2010.02.003. Epub 2010 Feb 10.
N-acylethanolamines (NAEs) constitute a class of bioactive lipid molecules present in animal and plant tissues. Among the NAEs, N-arachidonoylethanolamine (anandamide), N-palmitoylethanolamine, and N-oleoylethanolamine attract much attention due to cannabimimetic activity as an endocannabinoid, anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities, and anorexic activity, respectively. In mammalian tissues, NAEs are formed from glycerophospholipids through the phosphodiesterase-transacylation pathway consisting of Ca(2+)-dependent N-acyltransferase and N-acylphosphatidylethanolamine-hydrolyzing phospholipase D. Recent studies revealed the presence of alternative pathways and enzymes responsible for the NAE formation. As for the degradation of NAEs, fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH), which hydrolyzes NAEs to fatty acids and ethanolamine, plays a central role. However, a lysosomal enzyme referred to as NAE-hydrolyzing acid amidase (NAAA) also catalyzes the same reaction and may be a new target for the development of therapeutic drugs. In this article we discuss recent progress in the studies on the enzymes involved in the biosynthesis and degradation of NAEs with special reference to NAAA.
N-酰基乙醇胺（NAEs）构成了一类存在于动物和植物组织中的生物活性脂质分子。在这些 N-AEs 中，N-花生四烯酰乙醇胺（大麻素）、N-棕榈酰乙醇胺和 N-油酰乙醇胺因其作为内源性大麻素的拟大麻活性、抗炎和镇痛活性以及厌食活性而备受关注。在哺乳动物组织中，NAEs 通过包含 Ca(2+)依赖性 N-酰基转移酶和 N-酰基磷脂酰乙醇胺水解磷脂酶 D 的磷酸二酯酶转酰基途径从甘油磷脂形成。最近的研究揭示了负责 NAE 形成的替代途径和酶的存在。至于 NAE 的降解，脂肪酸酰胺水解酶（FAAH）将 NAE 水解为脂肪酸和乙醇胺，起着核心作用。然而，溶酶体酶称为 NAE 水解酸酰胺酶（NAAA）也催化相同的反应，可能成为开发治疗药物的新靶点。本文讨论了参与 NAE 生物合成和降解的酶的最新研究进展，特别提到了 NAAA。
