alpha/beta-Hydrolase domain containing 12 (ABHD12) is a serine hydrolase encoded by the ABHD12 gene that participates in the breakdown of the endocannabinoid neurotransmitter 2-arachidonylglycerol (2-AG) in the central nervous system. It is responsible for about 9% of brain 2-AG hydrolysis. Together, ABHD12 along with two other enzymes, monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL) and ABHD6, control 99% of 2-AG hydrolysis in the brain. ABHD12 also serves as a lysophospholipase and metabolizes lysophosphatidylserine (LPS).
Inhibitors
Inhibitors of ABHD12 have been identified. Orlistat (tetrahydrolipstatin; THL) and methyl arachidonyl fluorophosphonate (MAFP), so-called "universal lipase/serine hydrolase inhibitors" that are extremely non-selective enzyme inhibitors, were found to inhibit ABHD12. Selective reversible inhibitors have also been identified, including betulinic acid, maslinic acid, oleanolic acid, and ursolic acid.