Arachidonoyl ethanolamide (AEA; Item No. 90050) was the first endogenous cannabinoid (CB) to be isolated and characterized as an agonist acting on the same receptors (CB₁ and CB₂) as Δ⁹-THC (Item No. 12068).^1,2 Since that time, a number of related endocannabinoids have been isolated, most notably 2-arachidonoyl glycerol (2-AG; Item No. 62160).² The phosphate ester of AEA, AEA-P, has been tested as a water soluble prodrug version of AEA in the treatment of C₆ glioma cells in vivo. Here it acts with essentially the same potency as AEA.³ However, when tested for inhibition of AEA binding to isolated rat brain CB₁ receptors, AEA-P is about 5-fold less potent as an agonist with a K_i of about 200 nM.⁴ The phosphate esters of AEA and its analogs are also structural variants of lysophosphatidic acid (LPA). However, the effects of AEA-P on the various LPA receptors have not been tested.

≥98%