AM-938 (part of the AM cannabinoid series) is an analgesic drug which is a

cannabinoid receptor agonist 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 ...

. It is a derivative of

HU-210 HU-210 is a synthetic cannabinoid that was first synthesized in 1988 from (1R,5S)-myrtenol by a group led by Raphael Mechoulam at the Hebrew University. HU-210 is 100 to 800 times more potent than natural THC from cannabis and has an extended d ...

which has been substituted with a 6β-(3-hydroxyprop-1-ynyl) group. This adds a "southern"

aliphatic In organic chemistry, hydrocarbons ( compounds composed solely of carbon and hydrogen) are divided into two classes: aromatic compounds and aliphatic compounds (; G. ''aleiphar'', fat, oil). Aliphatic compounds can be saturated, like hexane, ...

hydroxyl In chemistry, a hydroxy or hydroxyl group is a functional group with the chemical formula and composed of one oxygen atom covalently bonded to one hydrogen atom. In organic chemistry, alcohols and carboxylic acids contain one or more hydro ...

group to the molecule as seen in the CP-series of nonclassical cannabinoid drugs, and so AM-938 represents a hybrid structure between the classical and nonclassical

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 ...

families, with the 6-hydroxyalkyl chain rigidified with a

triple bond A triple bond in chemistry is a chemical bond between two atoms involving six bonding electrons instead of the usual two in a covalent single bond. Triple bonds are stronger than the equivalent single bonds or double bonds, with a bond order o ...

. This gives AM-938 a greater degree of selectivity, so while it is still a potent agonist at both CB₁ and CB₂, it is reasonably selective for CB₂, with a K_i of 0.3nM at CB₂ and 1.2nM at CB₁, a selectivity of around 4x.

References

Benzochromenes Primary alcohols Phenols AM cannabinoids {{cannabinoid-stub

See also

References