JHW-007 is a cocaine analog and a high affinity atypical

dopamine reuptake inhibitor A dopamine reuptake inhibitor (DRI) is a class of drug which acts as a reuptake inhibitor of the monoamine neurotransmitter dopamine by blocking the action of the dopamine transporter (DAT). Reuptake inhibition is achieved when extracellular do ...

that is being researched for the treatment of

cocaine addiction Cocaine dependence is a neurological disorder that is characterized by withdrawal symptoms upon cessation from cocaine use. It also often coincides with cocaine addiction which is a biopsychosocial disorder characterized by persistent use o ...

. JHW-007 has been found to blunt the psychostimulatory effects of cocaine and reduce self-administration in rodents. JHW-007 exposure has been shown to block the conditioned place preference effects of cocaine.{{Cite journal , last=Velázquez-Sánchez , first=C. , last2=Ferragud , first2=A. , last3=Murga , first3=J. , last4=Cardá , first4=M. , last5=Canales , first5=J. J. , date=July 2010 , title=The high-affinity dopamine uptake inhibitor, JHW 007, blocks cocaine-induced reward, locomotor stimulation, and sensitization , url=https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20413276/ , journal=European Neuropsychopharmacology: The Journal of the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology , volume=20 , issue=7 , pages=501–508 , doi=10.1016/j.euroneuro.2010.03.005 , issn=1873-7862 , pmid=20413276 JHW-007 may directly antagonize the autoregulatory dopamine D2 receptor, a hypothesis that was developed following the observation of JHW-007's ability to inhibit D2 receptor-mediated currents in the midbrain. JHW-007 is unrelated to JWH-007, a synthetic

cannabinoid Cannabinoids () are several structural classes of compounds found in the cannabis plant primarily and most animal organisms (although insects lack such receptors) or as synthetic compounds. The most notable cannabinoid is the phytocannabinoid tet ...

receptor agonist.

Atypical dopamine reuptake inhibition

In contrast to cocaine and other cocaine-like dopamine reuptake inhibitors, JHW-007 binds to the dopamine transporter (DAT) in an occluded (closed) conformation, similar to R-modafinil. This type of receptor binding to the DAT has been observed to result in a gradual and sustained increase in extracellular dopamine in the nucleus accumbens. Peak levels of extracellular dopamine are also markedly reduced. Both modafinil and JHW-007 have been investigated for the treatment of cocaine addiction.

References

Dopamine reuptake inhibitors Stimulants