Endocannabinoid
EndogenousPOEAPalmitoleoylethanolamide
(Z)-N-(2-hydroxyethyl)hexadec-9-enamide
Aliases.N-palmitoleoylethanolamine · palmitoléoyléthanolamide · N-palmitoléoyléthanolamine · Palmitoleoyl-EA · 16:1 NAE · N-(9Z-hexadécénoyl)-éthanolamine
An endogenous 16:1 N-acylethanolamine, an agonist of the lipid sensor GPR119, with no cannabinoid activity.
Updated on
Level of detail
Identifiers
- Formula
- C₁₈H₃₅NO₂
- Molar mass
- 297.50 g·mol⁻¹
- CAS
- -
- PubChem CID
- 9835868
- First described
- Aucune date de découverte isolée ne peut être attribuée à cette molécule : elle a été caractérisée progressivement au sein de la famille des N-acyléthanolamines endogènes, à mesure que les méthodes de lipidomique par spectrométrie de masse se sont affinées. Son activité sur le récepteur GPR119 a été rapportée en 2012 par une équipe des laboratoires Lilly, et sa première caractérisation métabolique dédiée chez l'animal a été publiée en 2021.
- Origin
- An endogenous molecule of mammals, detected in particular in human plasma during profiling of N-acylethanolamines. It is also present in small amounts in certain foods of plant origin, in particular seeds, where it ranks among the least abundant N-acylethanolamines. It is not produced by cannabis.
- InChIKey
- WFRLANWAASSSFV-FPLPWBNLSA-N
In plain terms
POEA is a small fatty molecule that the body makes itself from a fatty acid supplied by the diet. Small amounts are found in human blood and in certain seeds. The available work concerns metabolism and weight in animals, and human data are lacking.
Receptors and activity
- GPR119Agonist
- PPAR-αAgonist
- CB1Modulator
- CB2Modulator
- Agonist
- Partial agonist
- Antagonist
- Modulator
- Inverse agonist
Hover over a row for the precise value (Ki, EC50…)
Subjective signature
Hover over an axis to read its definition.
- Calm12
- Clarity10
- Sleep10
- Appetite8
- High10
Editorial estimate, not clinical.
Pharmacology
Palmitoleoylethanolamide (POEA) is an endogenous N-acylethanolamine, close to PEA and OEA, formed by the NAPE pathway and then hydrolysed by FAAH. Its best-established target is not a cannabinoid receptor but the lipid sensor GPR119, which it activates with a potency close to that of oleoylethanolamide. Activity at the nuclear receptor PPAR-α remains a hypothesis based on structural resemblance to OEA, without direct demonstration, and no significant action at CB1 or CB2 has been reported. In rats on a hypercaloric diet, repeated administration reduces food intake, weight gain, hepatic steatosis and inflammatory markers, with a profile very close to that of OEA. Unlike anandamide and PEA, POEA shows no antinociceptive effect in the formalin test. No clinical study has been published: human data are lacking and no therapeutic benefit can be asserted.
Key sources.
- LIPID MAPS LMFA08040043 : Palmitoleoyl-EA (identité, formule, InChIKey, absence d'effet antinociceptif)
- PubChem CID 9835868 : Palmitoleoyl ethanolamide (identité, formule, InChIKey)
- Nutrients 2021 : Palmitoleoylethanolamide Is an Efficient Anti-Obesity Endogenous Compound, Comparison with Oleylethanolamide in Diet-Induced Obesity
- Syed et al., Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab 2012 : Regulation of GPR119 receptor activity with endocannabinoid-like lipidsPMID 23074242
- Anton et al., Addiction Biology 2018 : Increased plasma oleoylethanolamide and palmitoleoylethanolamide levels correlate with inflammatory changes in alcohol binge drinkersPMID 29178411
- Food Chemistry 2019 : Food database of N-acyl-phosphatidylethanolamines, N-acylethanolamines and endocannabinoids and daily intake from a Western, a Mediterranean and a vegetarian dietPMID 31351254
Biosynthetic pathway (in vivo)
Formation follows the classical N-acylethanolamine pathway: an N-acyltransferase transfers palmitoleic acid onto membrane phosphatidylethanolamine to give an N-palmitoleoyl-phosphatidylethanolamine (NAPE), which a specific phospholipase D (NAPE-PLD) then cleaves to release POEA. Production therefore depends on the availability of palmitoleic acid, which links this mediator to the composition of dietary fats.
Legal framework
France
POEA is an endogenous molecule, naturally present in the body, and is classified as a narcotic by no French text. It is named in no ANSM decision, and neither is it covered by the generic clause of the decree of 22 February 1990, annex IV, which covers tetrahydrocannabinols as well as their esters, ethers and salts: POEA is neither a tetrahydrocannabinol nor a tetrahydrocannabinol derivative, its fatty acid amide structure being foreign to the benzo[c]chromene skeleton. No criminal restriction therefore applies to it in France.
European Union
No classification under the international conventions on narcotics, either by the United Nations or by the European instruments: the molecule is the subject of no EUDA monitoring as a new psychoactive substance and appears in no WHO schedule. On the food side, no novel food authorisation under Regulation (EU) 2015/2283 has been identified for a POEA-based ingredient, which in practice limits its placing on the market as a food supplement in the Union.
Sources: EUR-Lex, UNODC, CND, ANSM, IUPHAR/BPS, ChEBI, EUDA. Our method.
Structural classification
- Class
- Endocannabinoid
- Origin
- An endogenous molecule of mammals, detected in particular in human plasma during profiling of N-acylethanolamines. It is also present in small amounts in certain foods of plant origin, in particular seeds, where it ranks among the least abundant N-acylethanolamines. It is not produced by cannabis.
- Status
- Endogenous
N-acyléthanolamine (NAE) mono-insaturée : l'acide palmitoléique (C16:1, cis-9) relié à l'éthanolamine par une liaison amide. C'est l'homologue mono-insaturé du palmitoyléthanolamide (PEA, 16:0) et le congénère à chaîne plus courte de l'oléoyléthanolamide (OEA, 18:1). La molécule ne possède aucun cycle terpénique et n'appartient donc pas à la famille chimique des cannabinoïdes végétaux.
Pharmacokinetics
Médiateur lipidique produit à la demande et agissant localement, avec une durée de vie courte liée à une hydrolyse enzymatique rapide. Aucune étude de pharmacocinétique humaine n'a été publiée : l'absorption, la distribution et la demi-vie après administration orale ne sont pas établies.
Metabolism
Dégradé par hydrolyse de la liaison amide, qui libère l'acide palmitoléique et l'éthanolamine. L'amide hydrolase des acides gras (FAAH) est l'enzyme principale de cette voie, avec une contribution possible de la N-acyléthanolamine-hydrolysant amidase acide (NAAA), comme pour les autres N-acyléthanolamines.
Toxicology and risks
Aucune donnée de toxicologie humaine n'est disponible. Dans la seule étude d'administration répétée chez le rat soumis à un régime hypercalorique, les paramètres biochimiques suivis sont restés inchangés, ce que les auteurs interprètent comme une absence de signal de toxicité sur cette durée courte. Ce résultat isolé, obtenu chez l'animal, ne permet aucune conclusion sur la sécurité d'un usage humain.
Detection and analysis
La quantification se fait par chromatographie liquide couplée à la spectrométrie de masse en tandem, dans les panels plasmatiques de N-acyléthanolamines employés en recherche. Le POEA n'est recherché par aucun test de dépistage de stupéfiants : endogène et sans parenté structurale avec le THC, il ne présente pas d'intérêt médico-légal et ne figure sur aucune liste analytique de contrôle.
References
- 1.LIPID MAPS LMFA08040043 : Palmitoleoyl-EA (identité, formule, InChIKey, absence d'effet antinociceptif)
- 2.PubChem CID 9835868 : Palmitoleoyl ethanolamide (identité, formule, InChIKey)
- 3.Nutrients 2021 : Palmitoleoylethanolamide Is an Efficient Anti-Obesity Endogenous Compound, Comparison with Oleylethanolamide in Diet-Induced Obesity
- 4.Syed et al., Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab 2012 : Regulation of GPR119 receptor activity with endocannabinoid-like lipidsPMID 23074242
- 5.Anton et al., Addiction Biology 2018 : Increased plasma oleoylethanolamide and palmitoleoylethanolamide levels correlate with inflammatory changes in alcohol binge drinkersPMID 29178411
- 6.Food Chemistry 2019 : Food database of N-acyl-phosphatidylethanolamines, N-acylethanolamines and endocannabinoids and daily intake from a Western, a Mediterranean and a vegetarian dietPMID 31351254
Structured data
- InChIKey
- WFRLANWAASSSFV-FPLPWBNLSA-N
- SMILES
- CCCCCC/C=C\CCCCCCCC(=O)NCCO
- Formula
- C18H35NO2
- Molar mass
- 297.50 g·mol⁻¹
- PubChem CID
- 9835868
LLM ingestion format: a structured superset of the entry (identifiers, binding, versioned legal status). Full corpus.