The present study demonstrates that synaptamide (N-docosahexaenoylethanolamine), an endogenous metabolite of docosahexaenoic acid, when administered subcutaneously (4 mg/kg/day, 14 days), exhibits analgesic activity and promotes cognitive recovery in the rat sciatic nerve chronic constriction injury (CCI) model. We analyzed the dynamics of GFAP-positive astroglia and S100β-positive astroglia activity, the expression of nerve growth factor (NGF), and two subunits of the NMDA receptor (NMDAR1 and NMDAR2A) in the hippocampi of the experimental animals. Hippocampal neurogenesis was evaluated by immunohistochemical detection of DCX. Analysis of N-acylethanolamines in plasma and in the brain was performed using the liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry technique. In vitro and in vivo experiments show that synaptamide (1) reduces cold allodynia, (2) improves working memory and locomotor activity, (3) stabilizes neurogenesis and astroglial activity, (4) enhances the expression of NGF and NMDAR1, (5) increases the concentration of Ca2+ in astrocytes, and (6) increases the production of N-acylethanolamines. The results of the present study demonstrate that synaptamide affects the activity of hippocampal astroglia, resulting in faster recovery after CCI.
Keywords: DCX; DHEA; N-docosahexaenoylethanolamine; NGF; NMDA; astroglia; chronic constriction injury; dentate gyrus; hippocampus; neuropathic pain; synaptamide.