Title:Ethanolamine: A Potential Promoiety with Additional Effects on the Brain
Volume: 21
Issue: 2
Author(s): Asfree Gwanyanya, Christie Nicole Godsmark and Roisin Kelly-Laubscher*
Affiliation:
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, School of Medicine, College of Medicine and Health, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
Keywords:
Ethanolamine, brain, CNS, phospholipids, prodrug, synaptic, neuromodulator
Abstract: Ethanolamine is a bioactive molecule found in several cells, including those in the central
nervous system (CNS). In the brain, ethanolamine and ethanolamine-related molecules have
emerged as prodrug moieties that can promote drug movement across the blood-brain barrier. This
improvement in the ability to target drugs to the brain may also mean that in the process, ethanolamine
concentrations in the brain are increased enough for ethanolamine to exert its own neurological
actions. Ethanolamine and its associated products have various positive functions ranging from
cell signaling to molecular storage, and alterations in their levels have been linked to neurodegenerative
conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease. This mini-review focuses on the effects of ethanolamine
on the CNS and highlights the possible implications of these effects for drug design.