Abstract
Palmitoylethanolamide is a nutraceutical compound naturally produced in many plants and animal source foods, but the natural form is poorly water-soluble. It has demonstrated an anti-inflammatory role as a neuroprotective mediator, acting on several molecular targets of the central nervous system involved on brain aging process. In healthy adults, palmitoylethanolamide is an endogenous PPAR-α (peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α) agonist through which it performs anti-inflammatory activity and provides its effects by activating the cannabinoid receptor. The different formulations of palmitoylethanolamide (micronized palmitoylethanolamide, FM-LipoMatrix® palmitoylethanolamide and FM-LipoMatrix® palmitoylethanolamide plus lipoic acid and vitamin D3) were analyzed starting from intestinal barrier, to verify their bioavailability, to in primary astrocytes in which cell viability, reactive oxygen species (ROS) and nitric oxide (NO) production, NFKB activity, MAPK, p53 and PPARα activities were investigated. Additionally, cannabinoid and estrogen receptors were analyzed using the western blot technique. The combination of palmitoylethanolamide in FM-LipoMatrix®, lipoic acid and vitamin D3 shows better absorption predicting an improvement on plasma concentration; this formulation also shows a reduction in ROS and NO production and the data show the interaction of palmitoylethanolamide with cannabinoids and estrogen receptors inhibiting neuroinflammatory markers. All these data support the hypothesis of a new potential strategy to restore brain function and slow down brain aging in humans.