Increased plasma concentrations of Palmitoylethanolamide, an endogenous fatty acid amide, affect oxidative damage of human low-density lipoproteins: An in vitro study

Since increasing evidence indicates that oxidative modification of low-density lipoproteins (LDL) is an important determinant in atherogenesis, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of physiologically relevant concentrations of PEA on Cu2+-induced LDL oxidation (measured as conjugated dienes formation). Our experiments indicate both anti-oxidative and slightly pro-oxidative effects of PEA. The anti-oxidative effect is obtained at low PEA concentrations (0.01 and 0.1 μM), while the pro-oxidative effect is obtained at a higher PEA concentration (1 μM). Fluorescence and circular dichroism data indicate that the effect of PEA occurs mainly by affecting the conformational features of ApoB-100.