Fatty acid amide hydrolase and monoacylglycerol lipase inhibitors produce anti-allodynic effects in mice through distinct cannabinoid receptor mechanisms.

UNLABELLED: The endocannabinoids anandamide and 2-arachidonoylglycerol are predominantly regulated by the respective catabolic enzymes fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) and monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL). Inhibition of these enzymes elevates endocannabinoid levels and attenuates neuropathic pain. In the present study, CB₁ and CB₂ receptor-deficient mice were subjected to chronic constriction injury (CCI) of the sciatic nerve to examine the relative contribution of each receptor for the anti-allodynic effects of the FAAH inhibitor, PF-3845, and the MAGL inhibitor, JZL184. CCI caused marked hypersensitivity to mechanical and cold stimuli, which was not altered by deletion of either the CB₁ or CB₂ receptor, but was attenuated by gabapentin, as well as by each enzyme inhibitor. Whereas PF-3845 lacked anti-allodynic efficacy in both knockout lines, JZL184 did not produce anti-allodynic effects in CB₁ (-/-) mice, but retained its anti-allodynic effects in CB₂ (-/-) mice. These data indicate that FAAH and MAGL inhibitors reduce nerve injury-related hyperalgesic states through distinct cannabinoid receptor mechanisms of action. In conclusion, although endogenous cannabinoids do not appear to play a tonic role in long-term expression of neuropathic pain states, both FAAH and MAGL represent potential therapeutic targets for the development of pharmacological agents to treat chronic pain resulting from nerve injury.

PERSPECTIVE: This article presents data addressing the cannabinoid receptor mechanisms underlying the anti-allodynic actions of endocannabinoid catabolic enzyme inhibitors in the mouse sciatic nerve ligation model. Fatty acid amide hydrolase and monoacylglycerol lipase inhibitors reduced allodynia through distinct cannabinoid receptor mechanisms. These enzymes offer potential targets to treat neuropathic pain.