Methodology for controlled administration of smoked synthetic cannabinoids JWH-018 and JWH-073

The synthetic CB1 cannabinoid receptor selective agonists: Putative medical uses and their legalization

More than 500 molecules have been identified as components of Cannabis sativa (C. sativa), of which the most studied is Δ⁹-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ⁹-THC). Several studies have suggested that Δ⁹-THC exerts diverse biological effects, ranging from fragmentation of DNA to behavioral disruptions. Currently, it is accepted that most of the pharmacological properties of Δ⁹-THC engage the activation of the cannabinoid receptors, named CB₁ and CB₂. Interestingly, multiple pieces of evidence have suggested that the cannabinoid receptors play an active role in the modulation of several diseases leading to the design of synthetic cannabinoid-like compounds. Advances in the development of synthetic CB₁ cannabinoid receptor selective agonists as therapeutical approaches are, however, limited. This review focuses on available evidence searched in PubMed regarding the synthetic CB₁ cannabinoid receptor selective agonists such as AM-1235, arachidonyl-2' chloroethylamide (ACEA), CP 50,556-1 (Levonantradol), CP-55,940, HU-210, JWH-007, JWH-018, JWH-200 (WIN 55,225), methanandamide, nabilone, O-1812, UR-144, WIN 55,212-2, nabiximols, and dronabinol. Indeed, it would be ambitious to describe all available evidence related to the synthetic CB₁ cannabinoid receptor selective agonists. However, and despite the positive evidence on the positive results of using these compounds in experimental models of health disturbances and preclinical trials, we discuss evidence in regards some concerns due to side effects.

Synthetic cannabinoids are substrates and inhibitors of multiple drug-metabolizing enzymes

Synthetic cannabinoids, a new class of psychoactive substances, are potent agonists of cannabinoid receptors, which mimic the psychoactive effects of the principal psychoactive component of cannabis, ∆9-tetrahydrocannabinol. Despite governmental scheduling as illicit drugs, new synthetic cannabinoids are being produced. The abuse of synthetic cannabinoids with several drugs containing different chemical groups has resulted in large numbers of poisonings. This has increased the urgency for forensic and public health laboratories to identify the metabolites of synthetic cannabinoids and apply this knowledge to the development of analytical methods and for toxicity prediction. It is necessary to determine whether synthetic cannabinoids are involved in drug-metabolizing enzyme-mediated drug-drug interactions. This review describes the metabolic pathways of 13 prevalent synthetic cannabinoids and various drug-metabolizing enzymes responsible for their metabolism, including cytochrome P450 (CYP), UDP-glucuronosyltransferases (UGTs), and carboxylesterases. The inhibitory effects of synthetic cannabinoids on CYP and UGT activities are also reviewed to predict the potential of synthetic cannabinoids for drug-drug interactions. The drug-metabolizing enzymes responsible for metabolism of synthetic cannabinoids should be characterized and the effects of synthetic cannabinoids on CYP and UGT activities should be determined to predict the pharmacokinetics of synthetic cannabinoids and synthetic cannabinoid-induced drug-drug interactions in the clinic.