Palmitoylethanolamide protects mice against 6-OHDA-induced neurotoxicity and endoplasmic reticulum stress: In vivo and in vitro evidence

Carmen Avagliano, Roberto Russo, Carmen De Caro, Claudia Cristiano, Giovanna La Rana, Giuseppe Piegari, Orlando Paciello, Rita Citraro, Emilio Russo, Giovambattista De Sarro, Rosaria Meli, Antonio Calignano. Pharmacol Res. 2016 Nov;113(Pt A):276-289.

Laboratory studyHumansOther animals

Design

Laboratory study

Subjects

Male mice with unilateral intrastriatal 6-OHDA injection; SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma cells exposed to 6-OHDA

Dose used in the study

PEA 3-30 mg/kg/day subcutaneously in mice; PEA applied to SH-SY5Y cells in vitro

Duration

Not stated precisely in the abstract

What was measured

Behavioural impairment, striatal tyrosine hydroxylase, iNOS and COX-2, apoptosis markers, superoxide dismutase, endoplasmic reticulum stress markers (GRP78, PERK-eIF2alpha), and SH-SY5Y cell survival.

What the authors reported

This lab study found:

• PEA improved 6-OHDA-induced behavioural impairment and increased striatal tyrosine hydroxylase, indicating preserved dopaminergic neurons.
• It reduced iNOS and COX-2, shifted apoptotic markers toward survival, raised superoxide dismutase, and dampened endoplasmic reticulum stress markers.
• In SH-SY5Y cells, PEA rescued cells from 6-OHDA-induced damage and death.

Limits of this study

A mouse model and a human cell line; it cannot show effect in people with Parkinson's disease. Funding and conflicts not stated in the abstract.

Source

PubMed 27616549 · doi:10.1016/j.phrs.2016.09.004

Entry checked against the abstract on PubMed on 2026-09-22. The dose shown is the dose the researchers used. It is not a recommendation. How to read this page.