Oral Ultramicronized Palmitoylethanolamide: Plasma and Tissue Levels and Spinal Anti-hyperalgesic Effect
Laboratory studyOther animals
- Design
- Laboratory study
- Subjects
- About 110 male laboratory rats, healthy or with paw inflammation caused by carrageenan
- Dose used in the study
- A single dose by mouth of 10 or 30 mg/kg of labelled palmitoylethanolamide, as plain powder (particles of 100 to 2,000 micrometres) or ultramicronised (0.8 to 6 micrometres)
- Duration
- Up to 6 hours
- What was measured
- Labelled palmitoylethanolamide in plasma, spinal cord and other tissues; paw swelling, heat sensitivity and markers of inflammation
What the authors reported
This laboratory study found:
- The ultramicronised form gave a peak plasma level 5 times that of plain powder, reached at 5 minutes.
- In inflamed rats, plasma levels were higher than in healthy rats, and spinal cord levels were 110 times higher at 15 minutes.
- The ultramicronised form reduced paw swelling from 2 hours, heat sensitivity from 1 hour, and tissue damage in the paw.
- It also down-regulated distinct inflammatory and oxidative pathways at the spinal level.
Limits of this study
A rat study of a single dose over 6 hours. This is the main evidence that particle size changes absorption, and it has not been repeated as a head-to-head study in people. The authors caution that tissue levels may not map directly onto effects. Several authors are affiliated with Epitech Group, which makes ultramicronised palmitoylethanolamide.
Source
PubMed 29615912 · doi:10.3389/fphar.2018.00249
Entry checked against the abstract on PubMed, and the full text at the publisher (Frontiers) on 2026-10-19. The dose shown is the dose the researchers used. It is not a recommendation. How to read this page.