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A new way to safely relieve pain in humans has been discovered
Last reviewed: 01.07.2025
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Italian scientists have discovered a new drug to enhance the effects of anandamide, a natural, marijuana-like chemical in the human body that relieves pain.
A group of researchers identified a protein in brain cells called FLAT, which transports anandamide to damaged areas of the cell. They found that blocking this protein increased the potency of anandamide.
Previous work by the researchers has shown that compounds that enhance anandamide's natural abilities could form the basis of painkillers that do not cause the sedation, addiction or other side effects of existing painkillers such as opiates.
"These results raise hopes that the pain-relieving properties of marijuana could be used to develop new, safe drugs," said study author Piomelli.
In the study, the scientists used computational methods to understand how the protein binds to anandamide and transports it to damaged cells through the action of the enzyme fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH).
Anandamide has already been dubbed the "happiness molecule" due to its similarity to the active component in marijuana. The neurotransmitter, which is part of the human body's endocannabinoid system, has pain-relieving, calming and antidepressant properties, and plays an important role in regulating food intake.
Piomelli and colleagues suggest that blocking the FLAT protein may be particularly useful in combating certain forms of pain caused by damage to the central nervous system and addictions to drugs such as nicotine and cocaine.
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