AM-2201 (1-(5-fluoropentyl)-3-(1-naphthoyl)indole) is a recreational

designer drug A designer drug is a structural or functional analog of a controlled substance that has been designed to mimic the pharmacological effects of the original drug, while avoiding classification as illegal and/or detection in standard drug tests. ...

that acts as a potent but nonselective

full 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 agoni ...

for the

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

. It is part of the AM series of cannabinoids discovered by Alexandros Makriyannis at

Northeastern University Northeastern University (NU or NEU) is a private university, private research university with its main campus in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It was founded by the Boston Young Men's Christian Association in 1898 as an all-male instit ...

Hazards

Convulsions A convulsion is a medical condition where the body muscles contract and relax rapidly and repeatedly, resulting in uncontrolled shaking. Because epileptic seizures typically include convulsions, the term ''convulsion'' is often used as a synony ...

have been reported including at doses as low as 10 mg.

Pharmacology

AM-2201 is a

for

s. Affinities are: with a ''K''_i of 1.0 nM at CB₁ and 2.6 nM at CB₂. The 4-methyl functional analog MAM-2201 probably has similar affinities. AM-2201 has an EC₅₀ of 38 nM for human CB₁ receptors, and 58 nM for human CB₂ receptors. AM-2201 produces

bradycardia Bradycardia, also called bradyarrhythmia, is a resting heart rate under 60 beats per minute (BPM). While bradycardia can result from various pathological processes, it is commonly a physiological response to cardiovascular conditioning or due ...

and hypothermia in rats at doses of 0.3–3 mg/kg, comparable to the potency of

JWH-018 JWH-018 (1-pentyl-3-(1-naphthoyl)indole, NA-PIMO or AM-678) is an analgesic chemical from the naphthoylindole family that acts as a full agonist at both the CB1 and CB2 cannabinoid receptors, with some selectivity for CB2. It produces effe ...

in rats, suggesting potent cannabinoid-like activity.

Pharmacokinetics

AM-2201

metabolism Metabolism (, from ''metabolē'', "change") is the set of life-sustaining chemical reactions in organisms. The three main functions of metabolism are: the conversion of the energy in food to energy available to run cellular processes; the co ...

differs only slightly from that of

. AM-2201 ''N''- dealkylation produces fluoropentane instead of

pentane Pentane is an organic compound with the chemical formula, formula C5H12—that is, an alkane with five carbon atoms. The term may refer to any of three structural isomerism, structural isomers, or to a mixture of them: in the IUPAC nomenclature, h ...

(or plain

alkane In organic chemistry, an alkane, or paraffin (a historical trivial name that also has other meanings), is an acyclic saturated hydrocarbon. In other words, an alkane consists of hydrogen and carbon atoms arranged in a tree structure in whi ...

s in general).

Detection

A forensic standard of AM-2201 is available, and the compound has been posted on the Forendex website of potential drugs of abuse.

Legal status

In the United States, AM-2201 is a

Schedule I controlled substance The Controlled Substances Act (CSA) is the statute establishing federal U.S. drug policy under which the manufacture, importation, possession, use, and distribution of certain substances is regulated. It was passed by the 91st United State ...

.Controlled Substances listed by the DEA
/ref>

References

{{Cannabinoidergics Naphthoylindoles Organofluorides AM cannabinoids Designer drugs CB1 receptor agonists CB2 receptor agonists