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Palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) regulates cell cycle progression and promotes an anti-inflammatory transcriptomic signature in C2C12 skeletal muscle cells

Paige L Cole, Scott H Gillham, Mark R Viggars, Graeme L Close, Daniel J Owens. Physiol Rep. 2026 Feb;14(4):e70780.

Laboratory studyOther animals

Design
Laboratory study
Subjects
Differentiated C2C12 mouse myotubes and myoblasts (cell culture)
Dose used in the study
PEA 10 micromolar
Duration
24 hours (myoblast cell-cycle analysis); acute treatment for transcriptomics
What was measured
Myotube number, fusion index and area; myoblast cell cycle phases; RNA sequencing of differentially expressed genes; NAAA and FAAH expression.

What the authors reported

The study found:

  • PEA reduced myotube number (90.3±10.6 vs 112.6±10.1 control) and increased nuclear fusion index (37.8±5.7% vs 30.7±3.2%), with myotube area unchanged.
  • In myoblasts, PEA increased G0/G1 cells (48.2±1.2% vs 42.3±1.9%) and reduced S-phase cells (21.7±1.2% vs 25.5±1.2%).
  • RNA sequencing found 1952 differentially expressed genes, with PEA lowering NF-kappa-B target cytokines and raising interferon-related and chemokine genes.
  • NAAA, not FAAH, was the main enzyme induced.

Limits of this study

A mouse muscle cell culture study; it cannot show effect in muscle in a living animal or person. Conflicts of interest not stated in the abstract.

Source

PubMed 41693292 · doi:10.14814/phy2.70780

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.