Authors
Annelies Cannaert, Eric Sparkes, Edward Pike, Jia Lin Luo, Ada Fang, Richard C Kevin, Ross Ellison, Roy Gerona, Samuel D Banister, Christophe P Stove
Publication date
2020/11/30
Journal
ACS Chemical Neuroscience
Volume
11
Issue
24
Pages
4434-4446
Publisher
American Chemical Society
Description
Synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists (SCRAs) are an evolving class of new psychoactive substances (NPS) with structurally diverse compounds emerging each year. Due to the rapid pace at which these drugs enter the market, there is often little or nil information regarding the pharmacology of these substances despite widespread human use. In this study, 12 recently emerged SCRAs (reported between 2018 and 2020) were synthesized, analytically characterized, and pharmacologically evaluated using a live cell-based nanoluciferase complementation reporter assay that monitors in vitro cannabinoid receptor type 1 (CB1) activation via its interaction with β-arrestin 2 (βarr2). All synthesized SCRAs acted as agonists of CB1, although differences in potency (EC50 = 2.33–5475 nM) and efficacy (Emax = 37–378%) were noted, and several structure–activity relationships were identified. SCRAs featuring indazole …
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