Division of Human Nutrition, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
CNS Neurol Disord Drug Targets. 2013 Feb 1;12(1):23-33. doi: 10.2174/1871527311312010007.
Palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) belongs to the N-acyl ethanolamines (NAEs), a group of endogenous compounds involved in a variety of physiological processes, including energy homeostasis and inflammation. This review focuses on the analysis of PEA in plasma and tissues and discusses effects of diet and some pathological processes on PEA levels. Originally isolated from egg yolk, PEA has been detected in a variety of tissues and plasma of different species. The compound is present at relatively high levels compared to other NAEs and now mostly analysed using liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry. PEA plasma concentrations show marked fluctuations during the day. However, concentrations in tissues are likely to be more relevant than those in plasma. Most studies suggest that compared to other NAEs, tissue PEA tissue levels are not influenced by changes in dietary fatty acid composition. Effects of inflammation and disease on PEA tissue levels show differences between different models and studies. Therefore, more research is needed on the endogenous role and tissue kinetics of PEA during disease. The rediscovery of the therapeutic potential of PEA has fuelled research and the development of new pharmaceutical formulations. With regard to this there is a need for better kinetic data and models, preferably also on its tissue disposition. Moreover, it is important to learn more about effects of exogenous PEA on the kinetics of other NAEs (and endocannabinoids) and effects of inhibiting its breakdown using inhibitors of the degrading enzymes fatty acid amide hydrolase or N-acylethanolamine-hydrolyzing acid amidase.
棕榈酰乙醇酰胺（PEA）属于 N-酰基乙醇胺（NAE），这是一组参与多种生理过程的内源性化合物，包括能量平衡和炎症。本文重点分析了 PEA 在血浆和组织中的分布，并讨论了饮食和一些病理过程对 PEA 水平的影响。PEA 最初从蛋黄中分离出来，现已在多种组织和不同物种的血浆中检测到。与其他 NAE 相比，该化合物的含量相对较高，现在主要使用液相色谱-质谱联用技术进行分析。PEA 的血浆浓度在一天中有明显波动。然而，组织中的浓度可能比血浆中的浓度更相关。大多数研究表明，与其他 NAE 相比，组织 PEA 水平不受饮食中脂肪酸组成变化的影响。炎症和疾病对 PEA 组织水平的影响在不同模型和研究中存在差异。因此，需要更多地研究 PEA 在疾病过程中的内源性作用和组织动力学。PEA 的治疗潜力的重新发现激发了对其的研究和新的药物制剂的开发。关于这一点，需要更好的动力学数据和模型，最好还包括其在组织中的分布。此外，了解更多关于外源性 PEA 对其他 NAE（和内源性大麻素）的动力学的影响以及使用脂肪酸酰胺水解酶或 N-酰基乙醇胺水解酸酰胺酶的抑制剂抑制其分解的影响也很重要。
