Docosatetraenoylethanolamide

Docosatetraenoylethanolamide (DEA) (Adrenoyl-ethanolamide) (Adrenoyl-EA) is an endogenous

ethanolamide Ethanolamides are chemical compounds which are amides formed from carboxylic acids and ethanolamine. Some ethanolamides are naturally occurring, such as anandamide, palmitoylethanolamide and prostamides, which play physiological roles as lipid neur ...

that has been shown to act on the cannabinoid (CB₁) receptor. DEA is similar in structure to

anandamide Anandamide (ANA), also known as ''N''-arachidonoylethanolamine (AEA), is a fatty acid neurotransmitter. Anandamide was the first endocannabinoid to be discovered: it participates in the body's endocannabinoid system by binding to cannabinoid rec ...

(AEA, a recognized endogenous ligand for the CB₁ receptor), containing

docosatetraenoic acid Docosatetraenoic acid designates any straight chain 22:4 fatty acid. (''See'' essential fatty acid for nomenclature.) One isomer is of particular interest: * all-''cis''-7,10,13,16-docosatetraenoic acid is an ω-6 fatty acid with the common name ...

in place of

arachidonic acid Arachidonic acid (AA, sometimes ARA) is a polyunsaturated omega-6 fatty acid 20:4(ω-6), or 20:4(5,8,11,14). It is structurally related to the saturated arachidic acid found in cupuaçu butter. Its name derives from the New Latin word ''arachi ...

. While DEA has been shown to bind to the CB₁ receptor with similar potency and efficacy as AEA, its role as a

cannabinergic Cannabinoidergic, or cannabinergic, means "working on the endocannabinoid neurotransmitters". As with terms such as dopaminergic and serotonergic, related proteins and cellular components involved endocannabinoid signaling, such as the cannabinoi ...

neurotransmitter is not well understood. Docosatetraenoylethanolamide (DEA) has been found in

Tropaeolum tuberosum ''Tropaeolum tuberosum'' (mashua, see below for other names) is a species of flowering plant in the family Tropaeolaceae, grown in the Andes, particularly in Peru and Bolivia, and to a lesser extent in Ecuador as well as in some areas of Colom ...

(Mashua) and

Leonotis leonurus ''Leonotis leonurus'', also known as lion's tail and wild dagga, is a plant species in the mint family, Lamiaceae. The plant is a broadleaf evergreen large shrub native to South Africa and southern Africa, where it is very common.Fatty acid amides Endocannabinoids Neurotransmitters {{Biochemistry-stub