Palmitoylethanolamide Relieves Pain and Preserves Pancreatic Islet Cells in a Murine Model of Diabetes

Title:Palmitoylethanolamide Relieves Pain and Preserves Pancreatic Islet Cells in a Murine Model of Diabetes

Volume: 14 Issue: 4

Author(s): Giulia Donvito, Isabella Bettoni, Francesca Comelli, Anita Colombo and Barbara Costa

Affiliation:

Keywords: Allodynia, diabetes, endocannabinoid, insulin, insulitis, mast cell, nerve growth factor, neuropathy, oxidative stress, Palmitoylethanolamide.

Abstract: We previously demonstrated that the intraperitoneal administration of palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) in mice with chronic constriction injury of the sciatic nerve evoked a relief of both thermal hyperalgesia and mechanical allodynia in neuropathic mice. Since diabetic neuropathy is one of the most common long-term complications of diabetes, we explored the ability of PEA to also relief this kind of chronic pain, employing the well established streptozotocin-induced animal model of type 1 diabetes. Our findings demonstrated that PEA relieves mechanical allodynia, counteracts nerve growth factor deficit, improves insulin level, preserves Langherans islet morphology reducing the development of insulitis in diabetic mice. These results suggest that PEA could be effective in type1 -diabetic patients not only as pain reliever but also in controlling the development of pathology.

Cite this article as:

Donvito Giulia, Bettoni Isabella, Comelli Francesca, Colombo Anita and Costa Barbara, Palmitoylethanolamide Relieves Pain and Preserves Pancreatic Islet Cells in a Murine Model of Diabetes, CNS & Neurological Disorders - Drug Targets 2015; 14 (4) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1871527314666150429111537