Endocannabinoid
EndogenousSEAStearoylethanolamide
N-(2-hydroxyethyl)octadecanamide
Aliases.stearoylethanolamide · N-stearoylethanolamine · SEA · NSE · 18:0 NAE
A saturated endogenous N-acylethanolamine, without CB1/CB2 affinity, active mainly through an entourage effect.
Updated on
Level of detail
Identifiers
- Formula
- C₂₀H₄₁NO₂
- Molar mass
- 327.60 g·mol⁻¹
- CAS
- 111-57-9
- PubChem CID
- 27902
- First described
- Les amides d'éthanolamine d'acides gras ont été identifiés dans les tissus de mammifères en 1965 par Bachur, Masek, Melmon et Udenfriend. La caractérisation pharmacologique propre du stéaroyléthanolamide est bien plus tardive : deux études publiées en 2002 établissent son profil de liaison, sa dégradation enzymatique et son activité pro-apoptotique, puis un travail de 2004 décrit son effet anorexigène chez la souris par répression de la stéaroyl-CoA désaturase 1. L'essentiel du travail expérimental ultérieur provient d'équipes ukrainiennes, qui ont exploré ses propriétés anti-inflammatoires et membranoprotectrices.
- Origin
- An endogenous mammalian compound, absent from cannabis. Stearoylethanolamide is present in the human brain, heart, skeletal muscle, plasma and breast milk, often at concentrations higher than those of anandamide. It derives from stearic acid, a C18 saturated fatty acid abundant in the ordinary diet.
- InChIKey
- OTGQIQQTPXJQRG-UHFFFAOYSA-N
In plain terms
Stearoylethanolamide is a small fatty molecule that the human body makes itself, from stearic acid, a fat very common in the diet. It is found in the brain, the muscles, the plasma and breast milk, often in higher amounts than the best-known internal cannabinoids. It does not bind to the cannabis receptors and produces no high.
Receptors and activity
- FAAH (dégradation de l'anandamide)Modulator
- NAAAModulator
- PPARγModulator
- Site de liaison spécifique non cannabinoïde et non vanilloïdeModulator
- 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
- Clarity8
- Sleep10
- Appetite6
- High6
Editorial estimate, not clinical.
Pharmacology
Stearoylethanolamide (SEA) is a fully saturated N-acylethanolamine, the C18:0 analogue of anandamide. The binding data converge: SEA does not bind appreciably at CB1 or CB2, and it does not activate the TRPV1 channel, unlike the unsaturated C18 N-acylethanolamines. Two studies from 2002, conducted on the mouse brain and on rat C6 glioma cells, described a binding site of its own, distinct from the cannabinoid and vanilloid receptors and not coupled to G proteins, as well as a dedicated membrane transporter. Its so-called cannabimimetic activity therefore proceeds mainly through an entourage effect: a substrate of FAAH and NAAA, SEA competes for the degradation of anandamide and prolongs the latter's action. A PPARγ avenue was advanced in 2022 on the basis of molecular docking and of antagonism by GW9662, with inhibition of the nuclear translocation of NF-κB, whereas activation of PPARα was not found when tested directly. In rodents, the effects reported include a fall in food intake linked to the repression of stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1, an anti-inflammatory and pro-apoptotic action on tumour cell lines, and inhibition of platelet activation. In humans, SEA has been measured only as a marker, notably in the painful trapezius muscle and in breast milk. No clinical trial has evaluated it as a treatment and human efficacy data are lacking.
Key sources.
- Cannabimimetic activity, binding, and degradation of stearoylethanolamide within the mouse central nervous system, Mol Cell Neurosci, 2002PMID 12359156
- Binding, degradation and apoptotic activity of stearoylethanolamide in rat C6 glioma cells, Biochem J, 2002PMID 12010121
- Stearoylethanolamide exerts anorexic effects in mice via down-regulation of liver stearoyl-coenzyme A desaturase-1 mRNA expression, FASEB J, 2004PMID 15289450
- Endogenous unsaturated C18 N-acylethanolamines are vanilloid receptor (TRPV1) agonists, J Biol Chem, 2005PMID 16081411
- Involvement of N-acylethanolamine-hydrolyzing acid amidase in degradation of anandamide, Biochim Biophys Acta, 2005PMID 16154384
- The involvement of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) in anti-inflammatory activity of N-stearoylethanolamine, Heliyon, 2022PMID 36387464
- N-Stearoylethanolamine suppresses the pro-inflammatory cytokines production by inhibition of NF-κB translocation, Prostaglandins Other Lipid Mediat, 2015PMID 25997585
- N-Stearoylethanolamine Inhibits Integrin-Mediated Activation, Aggregation, and Adhesion of Human Platelets, J Pharmacol Exp Ther, 2022PMID 35963618
- High levels of N-palmitoylethanolamide and N-stearoylethanolamide in microdialysate samples from myalgic trapezius muscle in women, PLoS One, 2011PMID 22125609
- Palmitoylethanolamide and stearoylethanolamide levels in the interstitium of the trapezius muscle correlate with pain intensity and sensitivity, Pain, 2013PMID 23707281
- Satiety Factors Oleoylethanolamide, Stearoylethanolamide, and Palmitoylethanolamide in Mother's Milk, Nutrients, 2018PMID 30428553
- Bachur NR, Masek K, Melmon KL, Udenfriend S. Fatty Acid Amides of Ethanolamine in Mammalian Tissues, J Biol Chem, 1965PMID 14284696
- PubChem CID 27902, N-Stearoylethanolamine
Biosynthetic pathway (in vivo)
The classic N-acylethanolamine pathway: an N-acyltransferase transfers a stearoyl residue onto membrane phosphatidylethanolamine to form N-stearoyl phosphatidylethanolamine, which NAPE-PLD then hydrolyses, releasing stearoylethanolamide. Tissue production rises markedly in injured, ischaemic or degenerating tissue.
Legal framework
France
An endogenous substance of the human body, not listed on the French schedules of narcotics or psychotropics. Stearoylethanolamide is neither a tetrahydrocannabinol, nor an ester, nor an ether, nor a salt of THC: it therefore does not fall within the generic clause of annex IV of the decree of 22 February 1990. Neither is it listed by name by ANSM. Its situation is one of the plain and simple absence of scheduling, not of a specific authorisation. Marketing as a food ingredient or as a supplement would, on the other hand, fall under the novel foods regulation, with no dossier known to date.
European Union
No scheduling under the European arrangements on new psychoactive substances: stearoylethanolamide appears neither in EUDA (formerly EMCDDA) notifications nor in the schedules of the United Nations conventions of 1961 and 1971. An endogenous mammalian compound, it circulates freely as a laboratory reagent and as an analytical standard for lipidomics. Any placing on the market intended for human consumption would fall under Regulation 2015/2283 on novel foods, with no authorisation filed to date.
Sources: EUR-Lex, UNODC, CND, ANSM, IUPHAR/BPS, ChEBI, EUDA. Our method.
Structural classification
- Class
- Endocannabinoid
- Origin
- An endogenous mammalian compound, absent from cannabis. Stearoylethanolamide is present in the human brain, heart, skeletal muscle, plasma and breast milk, often at concentrations higher than those of anandamide. It derives from stearic acid, a C18 saturated fatty acid abundant in the ordinary diet.
- Status
- Endogenous
N-acyléthanolamine entièrement saturée, amide de l'acide stéarique (C18:0) et de l'éthanolamine. Elle appartient à la famille des amides d'acides gras endogènes, aux côtés de l'anandamide, du palmitoyléthanolamide et de l'oléoyléthanolamide. Ce n'est pas un cannabinoïde terpénophénolique.
Pharmacokinetics
Lipide amphiphile très lipophile, dont l'entrée cellulaire passe par un transporteur membranaire saturable caractérisé dans le cerveau murin et sur les cellules de gliome C6. Chez la souris, la voie orale reproduit l'effet anorexigène obtenu par voie intrapéritonéale, ce qui indique une biodisponibilité digestive suffisante dans ce modèle. Aucune donnée de pharmacocinétique humaine n'est publiée.
Metabolism
Hydrolysé en acide stéarique et en éthanolamine par deux amidases : l'hydrolase des amides d'acides gras (FAAH) et la N-acyléthanolamine-acide amidase (NAAA). Leurs contributions respectives varient selon le tissu, la FAAH prédominant dans le cerveau tandis que les deux enzymes agissent de concert dans les macrophages. Cette compétition pour les mêmes voies de dégradation constitue le socle de l'effet d'entourage vis-à-vis de l'anandamide. Sa chaîne saturée le rend métaboliquement plus stable que l'anandamide, insensible aux oxygénases qui remanient les endocannabinoïdes polyinsaturés.
Toxicology and risks
Métabolite endogène de l'organisme humain, dépourvu de potentiel psychoactif : l'absence de liaison sur CB1 exclut les effets de type cannabique. Chez le rat et la souris, les administrations répétées sur une à deux semaines rapportées dans la littérature ont été globalement bien tolérées, avec amélioration des marqueurs antioxydants dans plusieurs modèles. Un signal défavorable existe cependant : administré avant une irradiation, le stéaroyléthanolamide s'est comporté comme un radiosensibilisant dans la descendance de rats irradiés. Une activité pro-apoptotique et antiproliférative sur lignées transformées est documentée in vitro. Aucune étude de toxicité chez l'humain n'a été publiée et aucune dose humaine de référence n'est établie.
Detection and analysis
Dosé par chromatographie liquide couplée à la spectrométrie de masse en tandem, presque toujours au sein d'un panel de N-acyléthanolamines incluant l'anandamide, le palmitoyléthanolamide et l'oléoyléthanolamide. Les matrices documentées comprennent le microdialysat musculaire, le plasma, le lait maternel et le cheveu, ce dernier servant de mesure cumulative sur plusieurs mois. Substance endogène et non contrôlée, elle ne fait l'objet d'aucune recherche en toxicologie médico-légale ni d'aucun test de dépistage routinier.
References
- 1.Cannabimimetic activity, binding, and degradation of stearoylethanolamide within the mouse central nervous system, Mol Cell Neurosci, 2002PMID 12359156
- 2.Binding, degradation and apoptotic activity of stearoylethanolamide in rat C6 glioma cells, Biochem J, 2002PMID 12010121
- 3.Stearoylethanolamide exerts anorexic effects in mice via down-regulation of liver stearoyl-coenzyme A desaturase-1 mRNA expression, FASEB J, 2004PMID 15289450
- 4.Endogenous unsaturated C18 N-acylethanolamines are vanilloid receptor (TRPV1) agonists, J Biol Chem, 2005PMID 16081411
- 5.Involvement of N-acylethanolamine-hydrolyzing acid amidase in degradation of anandamide, Biochim Biophys Acta, 2005PMID 16154384
- 6.The involvement of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) in anti-inflammatory activity of N-stearoylethanolamine, Heliyon, 2022PMID 36387464
- 7.N-Stearoylethanolamine suppresses the pro-inflammatory cytokines production by inhibition of NF-κB translocation, Prostaglandins Other Lipid Mediat, 2015PMID 25997585
- 8.N-Stearoylethanolamine Inhibits Integrin-Mediated Activation, Aggregation, and Adhesion of Human Platelets, J Pharmacol Exp Ther, 2022PMID 35963618
- 9.High levels of N-palmitoylethanolamide and N-stearoylethanolamide in microdialysate samples from myalgic trapezius muscle in women, PLoS One, 2011PMID 22125609
- 10.Palmitoylethanolamide and stearoylethanolamide levels in the interstitium of the trapezius muscle correlate with pain intensity and sensitivity, Pain, 2013PMID 23707281
- 11.Satiety Factors Oleoylethanolamide, Stearoylethanolamide, and Palmitoylethanolamide in Mother's Milk, Nutrients, 2018PMID 30428553
- 12.Bachur NR, Masek K, Melmon KL, Udenfriend S. Fatty Acid Amides of Ethanolamine in Mammalian Tissues, J Biol Chem, 1965PMID 14284696
- 13.PubChem CID 27902, N-Stearoylethanolamine
Structured data
- InChIKey
- OTGQIQQTPXJQRG-UHFFFAOYSA-N
- SMILES
- CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC(=O)NCCO
- Formula
- C20H41NO2
- Molar mass
- 327.60 g·mol⁻¹
- CAS
- 111-57-9
- PubChem CID
- 27902
LLM ingestion format: a structured superset of the entry (identifiers, binding, versioned legal status). Full corpus.