Biocatalyzed regioselective deprotection of 2 oleoylglycerol: a greener approach for the synthesis of a chemical tool for elucubrating the endocannabinoid system in C. elegans.

JULIA FERNÁNDEZ DE LUCO; GUILLERMO R. LABADIE

Workshop; Summer School On Green Chemistry & Sustainable Energy; 2019

Endocannabinoids are conserved lipid mediators that regulate multiple biological processes in a variety of organisms including brain reward systems, drug addiction, memory, mood and metabolic processes.1,2 One of the most important and best-characterized endocannabinoids is 2-arachidonoyl glycerol (2-AG). The nematode C. elegans has emerged as a powerful animal model to study a large variety of biological processes.3,4 Additionally, C. elegans is an excellent model for studying the physiological roles of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). Recently, we discovered that 2-AG plays a fundamental role in regulation of cholesterol trafficking in C. elegans.5 More importantly, we have also learnt that the more structurally simple monoacyl glycerol 2-oleoyl glycerol (2-OG), also shows promising activity in C. elegans encouraging its synthesis and study since given its more simple structure it makes a good study model and analog of 2-AG.