JWH-015 is a chemical from the naphthoylindole family, which acts as a subtype-selective cannabinoid agonist. Its affinity for CB₂ receptors

Cannabinoid receptor 2 (macrophage)

Cannabinoid receptor 2 , also known as CB2 or CNR2, is a G protein-coupled receptor from the cannabinoid receptor family, which in humans is encoded by the CNR2 gene...

 is 13.8nM, while its affinity for CB₁ is 383nM, meaning that it binds almost 28x more strongly to CB₂ than CB₁. However it still displays some weak CB₁ activity, and is not as selective as newer drugs such as JWH-133

JWH-133

JWH-133 is a potent selective CB2 receptor agonist, with a Ki of 3.4nM and selectivity of around 200x for CB2 over CB1 receptors. It was discovered by, and named after, John W...

. It has been shown to possess immunomodulatory effects, and CB₂ agonists may be useful in the treatment of pain and inflammation. It was discovered and named after Dr. John W. Huffman

John W. Huffman

John William Huffman is a professor emeritus of organic chemistry at Clemson University who first synthesised many novel cannabinoids, including JWH-007, JWH-015, JWH-018, JWH-019, JWH-030, JWH-051, JWH-073, JWH-081, JWH-122, JWH-133, JWH-147, JWH-171, JWH-182, JWH-203, JWH-210, JWH-250, JWH-307,...

.

Metabolism

JWH-015 has been shown in vitro to be metabolised primarily by hydroxylation

Hydroxylation

Hydroxylation is a chemical process that introduces a hydroxyl group into an organic compound. In biochemistry, hydroxylation reactions are often facilitated by enzymes called hydroxylases. Hydroxylation is the first step in the oxidative degradation of organic compounds in air...

 and N-dealkylation, and also by epoxidation of the naphthalene

Naphthalene

Naphthalene is an organic compound with formula . It is a white crystalline solid with a characteristic odor that is detectable at concentrations as low as 0.08 ppm by mass. As an aromatic hydrocarbon, naphthalene's structure consists of a fused pair of benzene rings...

 ring, similar to the metabolic pathways seen for other aminoalkylindole cannabinoids

Cannabinoids

Cannabinoids are a class of chemical compounds that include the phytocannabinoids , and chemical compounds that mimic the actions of phytocannabinoids or have a similar structure...

 such as WIN 55,212-2

WIN 55,212-2

WIN 55,212-2 is a chemical described as an aminoalkylindole derivative, that produces effects similar to those of cannabinoid derivatives such as THC but has an entirely different chemical structure....

. Epoxidation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons can produce carcinogenic metabolites, although there is no evidence to show that JWH-015 or other aminoalkylindole cannabinoids are actually carcinogenic in vivo.