Conference Report

Stephen      D. Skaper

Abstract

Palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) is one of a class of naturally occurring lipidic molecules composed of a fatty acid and ethanolamine, namely the fatty acid ethanolamides (FAEs). PEA is abundant in mammalian brain and, for other FAEs, is produced through an ondemand synthesis within the lipid bilayer [1]. The potential benefit of FAEs was first recognized in the early 1940s with the reported antipyretic properties of dried chicken egg yolk in children with rheumatic fever [2]. A decade later, the lipid fraction from egg yolk was identified as the component responsible for this effect [3], with PEA being the active component [4]. The potential applications of this lipid amide remained largely overlooked, however, until the characterization of its anti-inflammatory [5], analgesic [6], and anticonvulsant [7] properties. Indeed, these past 15 years have seen a noteworthy increase in studies dealing with the antiinflammatory actions of PEA [8]. Such was the impetus behind an international conference held in Pozzuoli 9-10 February 2012 and the first ever dedicated to this fast-growing area of biomedical research.....