JWH-175
Encyclopedia
JWH-175 is a drug from the naphthylmethylindole family which acts as a cannabinoid receptor
agonist
. It was invented by the scientist John W. Huffman
and colleagues at Clemson University
. JWH-175 is closely related to the widely used cannabinoid designer drug
JWH-018
, but with the ketone
bridge replaced by a simpler methylene
group. It is several times weaker than JWH-018, having a binding affinity
at the CB1 receptor of 22nM, though some derivatives substituted at the 4-position of the naphthyl ring have potency more closely approaching that of the equivalent naphthoylindoles. This makes JWH-175 considerably less potent than most synthetic cannabinoid drugs used in synthetic cannabis blends, and it is unclear if JWH-175 has ever been used for this purpose. However it has still been explicitly banned in several jurisdictions including Russia and some Australian states, in order to stop its potential use as an ingredient in such products.
Receptor (biochemistry)
In biochemistry, a receptor is a molecule found on the surface of a cell, which receives specific chemical signals from neighbouring cells or the wider environment within an organism...
agonist
Agonist
An agonist is a chemical that binds to a receptor of a cell and triggers a response by that cell. Agonists often mimic the action of a naturally occurring substance...
. It was invented by the scientist 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,...
and colleagues at Clemson University
Clemson University
Clemson University is an American public, coeducational, land-grant, sea-grant, research university located in Clemson, South Carolina, United States....
. JWH-175 is closely related to the widely used cannabinoid designer drug
Designer drug
Designer drug is a term used to describe drugs that are created to get around existing drug laws, usually by preparing analogs or derivatives of existing drugs by modifying their chemical structure to varying degrees, or less commonly by finding drugs with entirely different chemical structures...
JWH-018
JWH-018
JWH-018 or AM-678 is an analgesic chemical from the naphthoylindole family, which acts as a full agonist at both the CB1 and CB2 cannabinoid receptors, with some selectivity for CB2...
, but with the ketone
Ketone
In organic chemistry, a ketone is an organic compound with the structure RCR', where R and R' can be a variety of atoms and groups of atoms. It features a carbonyl group bonded to two other carbon atoms. Many ketones are known and many are of great importance in industry and in biology...
bridge replaced by a simpler methylene
Methylene
Methylene is a chemical species in which a carbon atom is bonded to two hydrogen atoms. Three different possibilities present themselves:* the -CH2- substituent group: e.g., dichloromethane ....
group. It is several times weaker than JWH-018, having a binding affinity
Dissociation constant
In chemistry, biochemistry, and pharmacology, a dissociation constant is a specific type of equilibrium constant that measures the propensity of a larger object to separate reversibly into smaller components, as when a complex falls apart into its component molecules, or when a salt splits up into...
at the CB1 receptor of 22nM, though some derivatives substituted at the 4-position of the naphthyl ring have potency more closely approaching that of the equivalent naphthoylindoles. This makes JWH-175 considerably less potent than most synthetic cannabinoid drugs used in synthetic cannabis blends, and it is unclear if JWH-175 has ever been used for this purpose. However it has still been explicitly banned in several jurisdictions including Russia and some Australian states, in order to stop its potential use as an ingredient in such products.