Sandra Holt

Inhibitors of fatty acid amide hydrolase reduce carrageenan-induced hind paw inflammation in pentobarbital-treated mice: comparison with indomethacin and possible involvement of cannabinoid receptors

The in vivo effect of inhibitors of fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) upon oedema volume and FAAH activity was evaluated in the carrageenan induced hind paw inflammation model in the mouse. Oedema was measured at two time points, 2 and 4 h, after intraplantar injection of carrageenan to anaesthetised mice. Intraperitoneal (i.p.) injections of the FAAH inhibitor URB597 (0.1, 0.3, 1 and 3 mg kg−1) 30 min prior to carrageenan administration, dose‐dependently reduced oedema formation. At the 4 h time point, the ED50 for URB597 was ∼0.3 mg kg−1. Indomethacin (5 mg kg−1 i.p.) completely prevented the oedema response to carrageenan. The antioedema effects of indomethacin and URB597 were blocked by 3 mg kg−1 i.p. of the CB2 receptor antagonist SR144528. The effect of URB597 was not affected by pretreatment with the peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor γ antagonist bisphenol A diglycidyl ether (30 mg kg−1 i.p.) or the TRPV1 antagonist capsazepine (10 mg kg−1 i.p.), when oedema was assessed 4 h after carrageenan administration. The CB1 receptor antagonists AM251 (3 mg kg−1 i.p.) and rimonabant (0.5 mg kg−1 i.p.) gave inconsistent effects upon the antioedema effect of URB597. FAAH measurements were conducted ex vivo in the paws, spinal cords and brains of the mice. The activities of FAAH in the paws and spinal cords of the inflamed vehicle‐treated mice were significantly lower than the corresponding activities in the noninflamed mice. PMSF treatment almost completely inhibited the FAAH activity in all three tissues, as did the highest dose of URB597 (3 mg kg−1) in spinal cord samples, whereas no obvious changes were seen ex vivo for the other treatments. In conclusion, the results show that in mice, treatment with indomethacin and URB597 produce SR144528‐sensitive anti‐inflammatory effects in the carrageenan model of acute inflammation.

The endocannabinoid signaling system : Pharmacological and therapeutic aspects

Since the discovery of anandamide in 1992, our knowledge of the endocannabinoid system and its physiological effects has increased greatly, not the least as a result of the availability of compounds affecting endocannabinoid function. In the present review, the pharmacology of the endocannabinoid system is discussed. At present, there are no compounds selectively inhibiting the synthesis of anandamide, and the mechanisms by which anandamide release and reuptake are blocked are a matter for current debate. In contrast, selective agonists and inverse agonists at the CB1 and CB2 receptors have been well characterised, as have inhibitors of the metabolism of anandamide by fatty acid amide hydrolase. Accumulating evidence has suggested that such compounds may be useful for the treatment of a number of disorders. With respect to the treatment of pain, topical CB1 agonists and CB2 agonists may prove therapeutically useful, and there is evidence that the non-steroidal inflammatory agent indomethacin produces effects secondary to activation of the endocannabinoid system. Modulation of the endocannabionid system may also produce neuroprotective effects, although present data would suggest that the observed effects are highly dependent upon the nature of the neurotoxic insult.

Acidic Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs Inhibit Rat Brain Fatty Acid Amide Hydrolase in a pH-dependent Manner

Previous studies have demonstrated that fatty acid amide hydrolase, the enzyme responsible for the metabolism of anandamide, is inhibited by the acidic non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) ibuprofen with a potency that increases as the assay pH is reduced. Here we show that (R) -, (S) - and (R, S) -flurbiprofen, indomethacin and niflumic acid show similar pH-dependent shifts in potency to that seen with ibuprofen. Thus, (S) -flurbiprofen inhibited 2 μM [3 H]anandamide metabolism with IC 50 values of 13 and 50 μM at assay pH values of 6 and 8, respectively. In contrast, the neutral compound celecoxib was a weak fatty acid amide hydrolase inhibitor and showed no pH dependency (IC 50 values ~300 μM at both assay pH). The cyclooxygenase-2-selective inhibitors nimesulide and SC-58125 did not inhibit fatty acid amide hydrolase activity at either pH. The data are consistent with the conclusion that the non-ionised forms of the acidic NSAIDs are responsible for the inhibition of fatty acid amide hydrolase.

Effects of pH on the inhibition of fatty acid amidohydrolase by ibuprofen

The pharmacological properties of fatty acid amidohydrolase (FAAH) at different assay pH values were investigated using [3H]‐anandamide ([3H]‐AEA) as substrate in rat brain homogenates and in COS‐7 cells transfected with wild type and mutant FAAH. Rat brain hydrolysis of [3H]‐AEA showed pH dependency with an optimum around pH 8‐9. Between pH 6.3 and 8.2, the difference in activity was due to differences in the Vmax, rather than the KM values. For inhibition of rat brain [3H]‐AEA metabolism by a series of known FAAH inhibitors, the potencies of the enantiomers of ibuprofen and phenylmethylsulphonyl fluoride (PMSF) were higher at pH 5.28 than at pH 8.37, whereas the reverse was true for oleyl trifluoromethylketone (OTMK) and arachidonoylserotonin. At both pH values, (−)ibuprofen was a mixed‐type inhibitor of FAAH. The Ki(slope) and Ki(intercept) values for (−)ibuprofen at pH 5.28 were 11 and 143 μM, respectively. At pH 8.37, the corresponding values were 185 and 3950 μM, respectively. The pH dependency for the inhibition by OTMK and (−)ibuprofen was also seen in COS‐7 cells transiently transfected with either wild type, S152A or C249A FAAH. No differences in potencies between the wild type and mutant enzymes were seen. It is concluded that the pharmacological properties of FAAH are highly pH‐dependent. The higher potency of ibuprofen at lower pH values raises the possibility that in certain types of inflamed tissue, the concentration of this compound following oral administration may be sufficient to inhibit FAAH.

Anandamide metabolism by fatty acid amide hydrolase in intact C6 glioma cells. Increased sensitivity to inhibition by ibuprofen and flurbiprofen upon reduction of extra- but not intracellular pH

The metabolism of anandamide by fatty acid amidohydrolase (FAAH) at different intra- and extracellular pH values has been investigated in intact C6 rat glioma cells. The cellular uptake of anandamide at 37°C was found to decrease by 28% when the extracellular pH (pHe) was reduced from pH 7.4 to pH 6.2. In contrast, a selective decrease in intracellular pH (pHi), accomplished by acidifying the cells followed by incubation in sodium-free buffer at pH 7.4, did not affect the uptake. Anandamide uptake was inhibited by (R)-ibuprofen, with pI50 values of 3.05±0.57, 3.66±0.23 and 3.94±0.88 at pHe values of 7.4, 6.8 and 6.2, respectively. In the presence of phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride, however, (R)-ibuprofen failed to inhibit the uptake of anandamide. A reduction in pHe from 7.4 to 6.2 produced a 17% reduction in the FAAH-catalyzed metabolism of anandamide in the intact C6 cells. However, an increased sensitivity of FAAH activity to inhibition by (R)-ibuprofen as well as (R,S)-flurbiprofen and (S)-flurbiprofen was seen at a lower pHe. For (R)-ibuprofen, pI50 values of 3.57±0.08, 4.04±0.05 and 4.59±0.04 were found at pHe values of 7.4, 6.8 and 6.2, respectively. For (R,S)- and (S)-flurbiprofen, the pI50 values at pHe 7.4 were 4.02±0.05 and 4.13±0.18, respectively at a pHe of 7.4, and 4.81±0.11 and 4.84±0.10, respectively, at a pHe of 6.2. In contrast, intracellular acidification did not affect either the rate of anandamide metabolism or its inhibition by (R)-ibuprofen or (S)-flurbiprofen. It is concluded that a reduction of extracellular pH produces an enhanced accumulation of the acidic NSAIDs ibuprofen and flurbiprofen into C6 glioma cells and thereby an inhibition of anandamide metabolism.