Diacylglycerol

Diglyceride

A diglyceride, or a diacylglycerol , is a glyceride consisting of two fatty acid chains covalently bonded to a glycerol molecule through ester linkages....

 lipase

Lipase

A lipase is an enzyme that catalyzes the formation or cleavage of fats . Lipases are a subclass of the esterases.Lipases perform essential roles in the digestion, transport and processing of dietary lipids in most, if not all, living organisms...

, also known as DAG lipase, DAGL or DGL, is a key enzyme in the biosynthesis of the endocannabinoid 2-arachidonoylglycerol

2-Arachidonoylglycerol

2-Arachidonoylglycerol is an endocannabinoid, an endogenous agonist of the CB1 receptor. It is an ester formed from the omega-6 fatty acid arachidonic acid and glycerol. It is present at relatively high levels in the central nervous system, with cannabinoid neuromodulatory effects. It has been...

. It catalyzes the hydrolysis of diacylglycerol

Diglyceride

A diglyceride, or a diacylglycerol , is a glyceride consisting of two fatty acid chains covalently bonded to a glycerol molecule through ester linkages....

, releasing a free fatty acid

Fatty acid

In chemistry, especially biochemistry, a fatty acid is a carboxylic acid with a long unbranched aliphatic tail , which is either saturated or unsaturated. Most naturally occurring fatty acids have a chain of an even number of carbon atoms, from 4 to 28. Fatty acids are usually derived from...

 and monoacylglycerol.

Two separate genes encoding DGL enzymes have been cloned, termed DGLα and DGLβ , that share 33% sequence identity.

Inhibitors

The enzyme has been described to be inhibited selectively by two agents, RHC80267

Rhc80267

RHC80267 is an inhibitor of diacylglycerol lipase. Diacylglycerol lipase generates the endocannabinoid 2-arachidonoylglycerol from diacylglycerol....

 and tetrahydrolipstatin.