APINACA (AKB48, ''N''-(1-adamantyl)-1-pentyl-1''H''-indazole-3-carboxamide) is a drug that acts as a reasonably potent
agonist
An agonist is a chemical that activates a Receptor (biochemistry), receptor to produce a biological response. Receptors are Cell (biology), cellular proteins whose activation causes the cell to modify what it is currently doing. In contrast, an R ...
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 ...
s. It is a full agonist at
CB1 with an EC
50 of 142 nM
and K
i of 3.24 nM (compared to the K
i of
Δ9-THC at 28.35 nM and
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 ...
at 9.62 nM),
while at
CB2 it acts as a partial agonist with an EC
50 of 141 nM
and K
i of 1.68 nM (compared to the K
i of
Δ9-THC at 37.82 nM and
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 ...
at 8.55 nM).
Its pharmacological characterization has also been reported in a discontinued patent application. It had never previously been reported in the scientific or patent literature, and was first identified by laboratories in Japan in March 2012 as an ingredient in
synthetic cannabis smoking blends, along with a related compound
APICA. Structurally, it closely resembles cannabinoid compounds from a University of Connecticut patent, but with a simple pentyl chain on the indazole 1-position, and APINACA falls within the claims of this patent despite not being disclosed as an example.
Legality
APINACA was made illegal in Japan in 2012, and was banned as a
temporary class drug in New Zealand from 13 July 2012.
APINACA has been banned in Latvia since 14 November 2013.
Since 2013, APINACA has been a Schedule I controlled substance in the United States.
It is also banned in Germany as an
Anlage II controlled drug.
APINACA is listed in the Fifth Schedule of the Misuse of Drugs Act (MDA) and therefore illegal in Singapore as of May 2015.
As of October 2015 APINACA is a controlled substance in China.
APINACA is banned in the Czech Republic.
Detection
A forensic standard of APINACA is available, and the compound has been posted on the Forendex website of potential drugs of abuse.
See also
*
5F-AB-PINACA
*
5F-ADB
*
5F-AMB
*
5F-APINACA
*
5F-CUMYL-PINACA
*
AB-CHFUPYCA
*
AB-CHMINACA
*
AB-FUBINACA
AB-FUBINACA ( AMB-FUBINACA) is a psychoactive drug that acts as a potent agonist for the cannabinoid receptors, with ''K''i values of 0.9 nM at CB1 and 23.2 nM at CB2 and EC50 values of 1.8 nM at CB1 and 3.2 nM at CB2. I ...
*
AB-PINACA
*
ADAMANTYL-THPINACA
*
ADB-CHMINACA
*
ADB-FUBINACA
*
ADB-PINACA
*
ADBICA
*
APICA
*
FUB-APINACA
*
MDMB-CHMICA
*
PX-3
*
SDB-001
*
STS-135
STS-135 ( ISS assembly flight ULF7) was the 135th and final mission of the American Space Shuttle program. It used the orbiter '' Atlantis'' and hardware originally processed for the STS-335 contingency mission, which was not flown. STS-135 ...
*
Synthetic cannabinoid
Synthetic cannabinoids, or neocannabinoids, are a class of designer drug molecules that Binding affinity, bind to the same receptors to which cannabinoids (Tetrahydrocannabinol, THC, Cannabidiol, CBD and many others) in cannabis plants attach. Th ...
*
Synthetic cannabis
References
{{Cannabinoids
Adamantanes
Cannabinoids
Designer drugs
Indazolecarboxamides