The ability of microglial cells to phagocytose bacteria after stimulation with the endocannabinoid palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) was studied in vitro. PEA increased the phagocytosis of unencapsulated Streptococcus pneumoniae R6 and encapsulated Escherichia coli K1 by murine microglial cells significantly after 30 min of microglial stimulation. This suggested that stimulation of microglial cells by PEA can increase the resistance of the brain against CNS infections.
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