AM404, also known as N-(4-hydroxyphenyl)arachidonoylethanolamide, is an active

Activity (chemistry)

In chemical thermodynamics, activity is a measure of the “effective concentration” of a species in a mixture, meaning that the species' chemical potential depends on the activity of a real solution in the same way that it would depend on concentration for an ideal solution.By convention, activity...

 metabolite

Metabolite

Metabolites are the intermediates and products of metabolism. The term metabolite is usually restricted to small molecules. A primary metabolite is directly involved in normal growth, development, and reproduction. Alcohol is an example of a primary metabolite produced in large-scale by industrial...

 of paracetamol

Paracetamol

Paracetamol INN , or acetaminophen USAN , is a widely used over-the-counter analgesic and antipyretic . It is commonly used for the relief of headaches and other minor aches and pains and is a major ingredient in numerous cold and flu remedies...

 (acetaminophen), responsible for all or part of its analgesic

Analgesic

An analgesic is any member of the group of drugs used to relieve pain . The word analgesic derives from Greek an- and algos ....

 action.

Pharmacology

AM404 was originally reported to be an endogenous cannabinoid reuptake inhibitor

Reuptake inhibitor

A reuptake inhibitor , also known as a transporter blocker, is a drug that inhibits the plasmalemmal transporter-mediated reuptake of a neurotransmitter from the synapse into the pre-synaptic neuron, leading to an increase in the extracellular concentrations of the neurotransmitter and therefore an...

, preventing the transport of anandamide

Anandamide

Anandamide, also known as N-arachidonoylethanolamide or AEA, is an endogenous cannabinoid neurotransmitter. The name is taken from the Sanskrit word ananda, which means "bliss, delight", and amide. It is synthesized from N-arachidonoyl phosphatidylethanolamine by multiple pathways...

 and other related compounds back from the synaptic cleft

Synapse

In the nervous system, a synapse is a structure that permits a neuron to pass an electrical or chemical signal to another cell...

, much in the same way that common SSRI antidepressants prevent the reuptake of serotonin

Serotonin

Serotonin or 5-hydroxytryptamine is a monoamine neurotransmitter. Biochemically derived from tryptophan, serotonin is primarily found in the gastrointestinal tract, platelets, and in the central nervous system of animals including humans...

. Recent work on the mechanism of AM404 has suggested that the inhibition of fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) by AM404 is likely responsible for all of its attributed "reuptake" properties, since intracellular FAAH hydrolysis of anandamide

Anandamide

Anandamide, also known as N-arachidonoylethanolamide or AEA, is an endogenous cannabinoid neurotransmitter. The name is taken from the Sanskrit word ananda, which means "bliss, delight", and amide. It is synthesized from N-arachidonoyl phosphatidylethanolamine by multiple pathways...

 changes the intra/extracellular anandamide equilibrium.

AM404 is also a TRPV1

TRPV1

The transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily V member 1 ', also known as the capsaicin receptor and the vanilloid receptor 1, is a protein that, in humans, is encoded by the TRPV1 gene...

 agonist and inhibitor of cyclooxygenase

Cyclooxygenase

Cyclooxygenase is an enzyme that is responsible for formation of important biological mediators called prostanoids, including prostaglandins, prostacyclin and thromboxane. Pharmacological inhibition of COX can provide relief from the symptoms of inflammation and pain...

 COX-1 and COX-2, thus attenuating prostaglandin

Prostaglandin

A prostaglandin is any member of a group of lipid compounds that are derived enzymatically from fatty acids and have important functions in the animal body. Every prostaglandin contains 20 carbon atoms, including a 5-carbon ring....

 synthesis. AM404 is thought to induce its analgesic action through its activity on the endocannabinoid

Endocannabinoid system

The endocannabinoid system refers to a group of neuromodulatory lipids and their receptors that are involved in a variety of physiological processes including appetite, pain-sensation, mood, and memory; it mediates the psychoactive effects of cannabis and, broadly speaking, includes:* The...

, COX

Cox

- People :*Cox , for information on the origins of the family name and a list of people with the name- Places :* Cox, Alicante, Spain* Cox, Florida, United States* Cox, Haute-Garonne, France* Cox Island, Nunavut, Canada...

, and TRPV

TRPV

TRPV is a family of transient receptor potential ion channels. These channels are selective for calcium and magnesium over sodium ions. Like other members of the TRP superfamily, TRPV channels can be activated through seemingly disparate mechanisms...

 systems, all of which are present in pain

Nociception

Nociception is defined as "the neural processes of encoding and processing noxious stimuli." It is the afferent activity produced in the peripheral and central nervous system by stimuli that have the potential to damage tissue...

 and thermoregulatory

Thermoregulation

Thermoregulation is the ability of an organism to keep its body temperature within certain boundaries, even when the surrounding temperature is very different...

pathways.