Macrophage-derived endocannabinoids have been implicated in endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide (LPS))-induced hypotension, but the endocannabinoid involved and the mechanism of its regulation by LPS are unknown. In RAW264.7 mouse macrophages, LPS (10 ng/ ml) increases anandamide (AEA) levels >10-fold via CD14-, NF-B-, and p44/42-dependent, platelet-activating factor-independent activation of the AEA biosynthetic enzymes, N-acyltransferase and phospholipase D. LPS also induces the AEA-degrading enzyme fatty acid amidohydrolase (FAAH), and inhibition of FAAH activity potentiates, whereas actinomycin D or cycloheximide blocks the LPS-induced increase in AEA levels and N-acyltransferase and phospholipase D activities. In contrast, cellular levels of the endocannabinoid 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) are unaffected by LPS but increased by platelet-activating factor. LPS similarly induces AEA, but not 2-AG, in mouse peritoneal macrophages where basal AEA levels are higher, and the LPS-stimulated increase in AEA is potentiated in cells from FAAH ؊/؊ as compared with FAAH ؉/؉ mice. Intravenous administration of 10 7 LPS-treated mouse macrophages to anesthetized rats elicits hypotension, which is much greater in response to FAAH ؊/؊ than FAAH ؉/؉ cells and is susceptible to inhibition by SR141716, a cannabinoid CB 1 receptor antagonist. We conclude that AEA and 2-AG synthesis are differentially regulated in macrophages, and AEA rather than 2-AG is a major contributor to LPS-induced hypotension.Anandamide (arachidonylethanolamide, AEA) 1 and 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG), recently discovered endogenous ligands of cannabinoid receptors (1), are synthesized by neurons (2) as well as macrophages (3-5) in a calcium-dependent manner. The effects of AEA at the receptor are terminated by its rapid uptake through a high affinity membrane transporter (6) and subsequent intracellular degradation by fatty acid amidohydrolase (FAAH) (7). Although 2-AG is also a substrate for FAAH in vitro, it is metabolized in vivo by a monoglyceride lipase (8). AEA and 2-AG display many of the pharmacological properties of ⌬ 9 -tetrahydrocannabinol, including the ability to elicit hypotension mediated by peripheral CB 1 receptors (9, 10), and macrophage-derived endocannabinoids have been shown to contribute to the hypotension in various forms of shock (4, 5, 11).Lipopolysaccharide (LPS), an integral part of the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria, is a major pathogenic factor in septic shock. Macrophages are the primary target of LPS, which interacts with the CD14 protein/toll-like receptor-4 complex (12, 13) to activate multiple signaling pathways (14), which, in turn, activate a variety of transcription factors that regulate gene expression (15). LPS induces the expression of the cytokines TNF␣, interleukin-1 (IL-1), IL-6, and IL-8, which have been implicated in the pathomechanism of septic shock (12). LPS also induces the production of lipid mediators in macrophages, such as prostaglandins (16), leukotrienes (17), and platelet-activating factor (P...