Figure 4
Elevated anandamide signaling by pharmacological inhibition of FAAH causes impaired oviductal embryo transport in wild-type mice.
(A) FAAH inhibition by its selective inhibitor URB597 (URB) increased oviductal levels of anandamide in pregnant wild-type females. Pregnant wild-type females received subcutaneous injection of URB597 at a dose of 1 mg/kg BW on days 1–3, and oviductal tissues were collected after treated females were sacrificed 3 hours after the last drug administration. (B) Number of mice with embryos retained in the oviduct per total number of mice examined. (C) Percentage of embryos recovered from oviducts or uteri of mice with different treatments. (D) Differential distribution of morulae and blastocysts among the drug-treated groups. Oviductal retention of embryos with impaired growth was noted in wild-type mice via silencing of FAAH activity by the selective inhibitor URB597, which was substantially restored when mice were cotreated with URB597 and SR141716. Statistical significance between treatment groups was evaluated using unpaired 1-tailed Student’s t test (*P < 0.05).
