What is "oleamide"

n. An endogenous amide of oleic acid that induces sleep in animals.

Oleamide is an amide of the fatty acid oleic acid. It is an endogenous substance: it occurs naturally in the body of animals. It accumulates in the cerebrospinal fluid during sleep deprivation and induces sleep in animals. It is being studied as a potential medical treatment for mood and sleep disorders, and cannabinoid-regulated depression.

The mechanism of action of oleamide's sleep inducing effects is an area of current research. It is likely that oleamide interacts with multiple neurotransmitter systems. Oleamide is structurally related to the endogenous cannabinoid anandamide, and has the ability to bind to the CB1 receptor as a full agonist.

Synthetically produced oleamide has a variety of industrial uses including as a slip agent, a lubricant, and a corrosion inhibitor.

Oleamide was originally characterized as an endogenous bioactive substance, isolated from the cerebrospinal fluid of sleep deprived cats. It was characterised in 1995 by Benjamin Cravatt III and Richard Lerner at The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, CA.

Oleamide was found by researchers to be leaking out of polypropylene plastics used in laboratory experiments, affecting experimental results. Since polypropylene is used in a wide number of food containers such as those for yogurt, the problem is being studied.

A chemical analysis of 44 products containing synthetic cannabinoid drugs marketed as "herbal incense" revealed oleamide in 7 of the products tested.