Enhancement of peripheral fatty acyl ethanolamide signaling prevents stress-induced social avoidance and anxiety-like behaviors in male rats
Laboratory studyOther animals
- Design
- Laboratory study
- Subjects
- Male adult rats exposed to social defeat (Experiment 1) or predator odour TMT (Experiment 2); numbers not stated
- Dose used in the study
- URB937, a peripherally restricted FAAH inhibitor, 1 or 3 mg/kg intraperitoneal, or vehicle, after stress; palmitoylethanolamide itself was not given
- Duration
- Behaviour tested 24 hours (Experiment 1) or 7 days (Experiment 2) after exposure
- What was measured
- Social avoidance and anxiety-like behaviour, plasma pro-inflammatory cytokines and corticosterone.
What the authors reported
URB937 prevented social avoidance after social defeat and anxiety-like behaviour after predator odour. It also blocked the transient rise in plasma cytokines and the rise in corticosterone seen 24 hours after social defeat, changes the authors link to raised peripheral fatty acyl ethanolamide signalling, which includes anandamide, OEA and PEA.
Limits of this study
A rat study; it cannot show effect in people. PEA was not administered; the drug raises several lipids at once, so effects cannot be assigned to PEA. Male rats only. The authors declare nothing to disclose.
Source
PubMed 37932554 · doi:10.1007/s00213-023-06473-w
Entry checked against the abstract on PubMed on 2026-09-22. The dose shown is the dose the researchers used. It is not a recommendation. How to read this page.