Anandamide: some like it hot. |
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| Authors: | V Di Marzo T Bisogno L De Petrocellis |
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| Institution: | Istituto per la Chimica di Molecole di Interesse Biologico, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Viale Toiano 6, Arco Felice, 80072 Napoli, Italy. vdimarzo@icmib.na.cnr.it |
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| Abstract: | Anandamide was the first endogenous ligand of cannabinoid receptors to be discovered in 1992. Yet, this compound also efficiently activates receptors specific for capsaicin, known as vanilloid type 1 receptors (VR1). Whether anandamide is a physiological VR1 ligand is controversial. However, very recent reports demonstrate that activation of VR1 by anandamide can be significantly enhanced by various regulatory factors, suggesting that this compound might act as an "endovanilloid" under certain conditions. |
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