Endocannabinoids, endocannabinoid-like compounds and cortisone in head hair of health care workers as markers of stress and resilience during the early COVID-19 pandemic

Ingeborg Biener, Tonina T Mueller, Jin Lin, Han Bao, Julius Steffen, Marion Hoerl, Katharina Biere, Sandra Matzel, Tobias Woehrle, Simon König, Annekathrin M Keiler, Detlef Thieme, Oliver Keppler, Matthias Klein, Tobias Weinberger, Andreas Osterman, Kristina Adorjan, Alexander Choukér. Transl Psychiatry. 2024 Jan 31;14(1):71.

Observational studyHumans

Design

Observational study

Subjects

178 health care workers at LMU University Hospital, Munich

Dose used in the study

Not applicable; palmitoylethanolamide was measured in hair, not given

Duration

March to May 2020; one hair sample of up to 6 cm taken in May 2020, four interview visits

What was measured

Hair concentrations of anandamide, PEA, OEA, SEA, 2-AG and cortisone, alongside questionnaires on anxiety, mental health and resilience.

What the authors reported

This observational study found:

• Anxiety and mental health impact were highest at the start of the pandemic and fell afterwards.
• Anandamide, PEA, OEA and SEA in hair fell over the period while 2-AG rose.
• PEA was higher in people with higher resilience and lower in those with anxiety.
• Nurses had higher cortisone than physicians; women had lower cortisone than men.

Limits of this study

An observational study of hair biomarkers; it cannot show cause or any effect of taking PEA. Single site, one occupational group. The authors declare no competing interests.

Source

PubMed 38296973 · doi:10.1038/s41398-024-02771-9

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.