AM-1241 (1-(methylpiperidin-2-ylmethyl)-3-(2-iodo-5-nitrobenzoyl)indole) is a chemical from the

aminoalkylindole Aminoalkylindoles (AAIs) are a family of cannabinergic compound that act as a cannabinoid receptor agonist. They were invented by pharmaceutical company Sterling-Winthrop in the early 1990s as potential nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents. Leg ...

family that acts as a potent and selective

agonist An agonist is a chemical that activates a receptor to produce a biological response. Receptors are cellular proteins whose activation causes the cell to modify what it is currently doing. In contrast, an antagonist blocks the action of the ag ...

for the

cannabinoid receptor Cannabinoid receptors, located throughout the body, are part of the endocannabinoid system a class of cell membrane receptors in the G protein-coupled receptor superfamily. As is typical of G protein-coupled receptors, the cannabinoid recep ...

CB₂, with a K_i of 3.4 nM at CB₂ and 80 times selectivity over the related CB₁ receptor. It has

analgesic An analgesic drug, also called simply an analgesic (American English), analgaesic (British English), pain reliever, or painkiller, is any member of the group of drugs used to achieve relief from pain (that is, analgesia or pain management). It ...

effects in animal studies, particularly against "atypical" pain such as

hyperalgesia Hyperalgesia ( or ; 'hyper' from Greek ὑπέρ (huper, “over”), '-algesia' from Greek algos, ἄλγος (pain)) is an abnormally increased sensitivity to pain, which may be caused by damage to nociceptors or peripheral nerves and can ...

and

allodynia Allodynia is a condition in which pain is caused by a stimulus that does not normally elicit pain. For example, bad sunburn can cause temporary allodynia, and touching sunburned skin, or running cold or warm water over it, can be very painful. It i ...

. This is thought to be mediated through CB₂-mediated peripheral release of endogenous

opioid peptide Opioid peptides are peptides that bind to opioid receptors in the brain; opiates and opioids mimic the effect of these peptides. Such peptides may be produced by the body itself, for example endorphins. The effects of these peptides vary, bu ...

s, as well as direct activation of the TRPA1 channel. It has also shown efficacy in the treatment of

amyotrophic lateral sclerosis Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neuron disease (MND) or Lou Gehrig's disease, is a neurodegenerative disease that results in the progressive loss of motor neurons that control voluntary muscles. ALS is the most commo ...

in animal models.

Effects in bone cancer model

The antihyperalgesic effects of AM-1241 were investigated in a

murine The Old World rats and mice, part of the subfamily Murinae in the family Muridae, comprise at least 519 species. Members of this subfamily are called murines. In terms of species richness, this subfamily is larger than all mammal families ex ...

bone cancer model.

Sarcoma A sarcoma is a malignant tumor, a type of cancer that arises from transformed cells of mesenchymal ( connective tissue) origin. Connective tissue is a broad term that includes bone, cartilage, fat, vascular, or hematopoietic tissues, and sar ...

cells were injected into the femur of a mouse, and then mice were injected twice daily with AM-1241. Treatment with AM-1241 reduced both spontaneous and evoked pain, as well as reducing the bone loss and subsequent fractures due to the tumor. Pretreatment with the CB₂ antagonist

SR-144,528 SR144528 is a drug that acts as a potent and highly selective CB2 receptor inverse agonist, with a Ki of 0.6 nM at CB2 and 400 nM at the related CB1 receptor. It is used in scientific research for investigating the function of the CB2 ...

reversed the acute effects of AM-1241 on both spontaneous and evoked pain, while having no effect on its own.

References

{{Cannabinoids Aminoalkylindoles Benzoylindoles Piperidines Nitrobenzenes Iodoarenes AM cannabinoids Designer drugs

Effects in bone cancer model

See also

References