Serum levels of endocannabinoids and related lipids in painful vs painless diabetic neuropathy: results from the Pain in Neuropathy Study
Observational studyHumans
- Design
- Observational study
- Subjects
- Diabetic patients with painful or painless neuropathy in the Pain in Neuropathy Study; numbers not stated in the abstract
- Dose used in the study
- Not applicable; palmitoylethanolamide was measured in serum, not given
- Duration
- Cross-sectional
- What was measured
- Serum anandamide, 2-AG, OEA, PEA and SEA by LC-MS/MS, compared between painful and painless neuropathy, plus patient-reported outcomes.
What the authors reported
This observational study found:
- Anandamide was higher in the painful group but the effect size was small (Cohen d = 0.31).
- Cluster analysis split patients into high and low endocannabinoid groups; 61% of the high group had painful neuropathy versus 45% of the low group (p = 0.039).
- The abstract reports no separate result for PEA.
- The authors describe the work as correlative only.
Limits of this study
A cross-sectional biomarker study; it cannot show cause or any effect of taking PEA. Two authors report consultancy, patents and industry funding; the others declare none.
Source
PubMed 37578507 · doi:10.1097/j.pain.0000000000003015
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.