APICA (2NE1, SDB-001, ''N''-(1-adamantyl)-1-pentyl-1''H''-indole-3-carboxamide) is an
indole
Indole is an aromatic heterocyclic organic compound with the formula C8 H7 N. It has a bicyclic structure, consisting of a six-membered benzene ring fused to a five-membered pyrrole ring. Indole is widely distributed in the natural environmen ...
based drug that acts as a potent
agonist
An agonist is a chemical that activates a receptor to produce a biological response. Receptors are cellular proteins whose activation causes the cell to modify what it is currently doing. In contrast, an antagonist blocks the action of the ago ...
for the
cannabinoid receptor
Cannabinoid receptors, located throughout the body, are part of the endocannabinoid system a class of cell membrane receptors in the G protein-coupled receptor superfamily. As is typical of G protein-coupled receptors, the cannabinoid recepto ...
s.
It had never previously been reported in the scientific or patent literature, and was first identified by laboratories in Japan in March 2012 as an ingredient in
synthetic cannabis
Synthetic cannabinoids are a class of designer drug molecules that bind to the same receptors to which cannabinoids (THC, CBD and many others) in cannabis plants attach. These novel psychoactive substances should not be confused with synthetic ...
smoking blends, along with its indazole derivative
APINACA
APINACA (AKB48, ''N''-(1-adamantyl)-1-pentyl-1''H''-indazole-3-carboxamide) is a drug that acts as a reasonably potent agonist for the cannabinoid receptors, with a Ki of 304.5nM and an EC50 of 585nM at CB1. It had never previously been report ...
(sold as "AKB48").
Structurally it closely resembles cannabinoid compounds from paten
WO 2003/035005but with an indole core instead of indazole, and a simple pentyl chain on the indole 1-position. Given the known metabolic liberation (and presence as an impurity) of
amantadine
Amantadine, sold under the brand name Gocovri among others, is a medication used to treat dyskinesia associated with parkinsonism and influenza caused by type A influenzavirus, though its use for the latter is no longer recommended due to wid ...
in the related compound
APINACA
APINACA (AKB48, ''N''-(1-adamantyl)-1-pentyl-1''H''-indazole-3-carboxamide) is a drug that acts as a reasonably potent agonist for the cannabinoid receptors, with a Ki of 304.5nM and an EC50 of 585nM at CB1. It had never previously been report ...
, it is suspected that metabolic
hydrolysis
Hydrolysis (; ) is any chemical reaction in which a molecule of water breaks one or more chemical bonds. The term is used broadly for substitution reaction, substitution, elimination reaction, elimination, and solvation reactions in which water ...
of the amide group of APICA may also release amantadine.
Pharmacological testing determined APICA to have an
IC50 of 175 nM at CB
1, only slightly less potent than JWH-018 which had an IC
50 of 169 nM, but over four times more tightly binding than APINACA, which had an IC
50 of 824 nM. The first published synthesis and pharmacological evaluation of APICA revealed that it acts as a full agonist at CB
1 (
EC50 = 34 nM) and CB
2 receptors (EC
50 = 29 nM).
Furthermore, APICA possesses cannabis-like effects in rats, and appears to be less potent than
JWH-018
JWH-018 (1-pentyl-3-(1-naphthoyl)indole, NA-PIMO or AM-678) is an analgesic chemical from the naphthoylindole family that acts as a full agonist at both the CB1 and CB2 cannabinoid receptors, with some selectivity for CB2. It produces effects in a ...
but more potent than THC.
Legal Status
As of October 2015 APICA is a controlled substance in China.
See also
*
5F-AB-PINACA
5F-AB-PINACA is an indazole-based synthetic cannabinoid that is derived from a series of compounds originally developed by Pfizer in 2009 as an analgesic medication, and has been sold online as a designer drug.
5F-AB-PINACA has been reported to ...
*
5F-ADB
5F-ADB (also known as 5F-MDMB-PINACA) is an indazole-based synthetic cannabinoid from the indazole-3-carboxamide family, which has been used as an active ingredient in synthetic cannabis products and has been sold online as a designer drug. 5F-A ...
*
5F-AMB
5F-AMB (also known as 5F-MMB-PINACA and 5F-AMB-PINACA) is an indazole-based synthetic cannabinoid from the indazole-3-carboxamide family, which has been used as an active ingredient in synthetic cannabis products. It was first identified in Japa ...
*
5F-APINACA
5F-APINACA (also known as 5F-AKB-48 or 5F-AKB48) is an indazole-based synthetic cannabinoid that has been sold online as a designer drug. Structurally it closely resembles cannabinoid compounds from patent WO 2003/035005 but with a 5-fluoropenty ...
*
AB-FUBINACA
AB-FUBINACA is a drug that acts as a potent agonist for the cannabinoid receptors, with ''K''i values of 0.9 nM at CB1 and 23.2 nM at CB2 and EC50 values of 1.8 nM at CB1 and 3.2 nM at CB2. It was originally developed by P ...
*
AB-CHFUPYCA
*
AB-CHMINACA
AB-CHMINACA is an indazole-based synthetic cannabinoid. It is a potent agonist of the CB1 receptor (''K''i = 0.78 nM) and CB2 receptor (''K''i = 0.45 nM) and fully substitutes for Δ9-THC in rat discrimination stu ...
*
AB-PINACA
AB-PINACA is a compound that was first identified as a component of synthetic cannabis products in Japan in 2012.
It was originally developed by Pfizer in 2009 as an analgesic medication.
AB-PINACA acts as a potent agonist for the CB1 recepto ...
*
ADAMANTYL-THPINACA
*
ADB-CHMINACA
ADB-CHMINACA (also known as MAB-CHMINACA) is an indazole-based synthetic cannabinoid. It is a potent agonist of the CB1 receptor with a binding affinity of ''K''i = 0.289 nM and was originally developed by Pfizer in 2009 as an ana ...
*
ADB-FUBINACA
ADB-FUBINACA is a designer drug identified in synthetic cannabis blends in Japan in 2013. In 2018, it was the third-most common synthetic cannabinoid identified in drugs seized by the Drug Enforcement Administration.
The (''S'')-enantiomer of A ...
*
ADB-PINACA
ADB-PINACA is a cannabinoid designer drug that is an ingredient in some synthetic cannabis products. It is a potent agonist of the CB1 receptor and CB2 receptor with EC50 values of 0.52 nM and 0.88 nM respectively. Like MDMB-FUBINAC ...
*
ADBICA
ADBICA (also known as ADB-PICA) is a designer drug identified in synthetic cannabis blends in Japan in 2013. ADBICA had not previously been reported in the scientific literature prior to its sale as a component of synthetic cannabis blends. ADBI ...
*
MDMB-CHMICA
MDMB-CHMICA is an indole-based synthetic cannabinoid that is a potent agonist of the CB1 receptor and has been sold online as a designer drug. While MDMB-CHMICA was initially sold under the name "MMB-CHMINACA", the compound corresponding to this ...
*
SDB-006
SDB-006 is a drug that acts as a potent agonist for the cannabinoid receptors, with an EC50 of 19 nM for human CB2 receptors, and 134 nM for human CB1 receptors. It was discovered during research into the related compound SDB-001 which had been ...
*
STS-135 (drug)
STS-135 (''N''-(adamantan-1-yl)-1-(5-fluoropentyl)-1''H''-indole-3-carboxamide, also called 5F-APICA) is a designer drug offered by online vendors as a cannabimimetic agent. The structure of STS-135 appears to use an understanding of structure- ...
*
PX-3
PX-3 (also known as APP-CHMINACA) is an indazole-based synthetic cannabinoid. It is a potent agonist of the CB1 receptor with a binding affinity of ''K''i = 47.6 nM and was originally developed by Pfizer in 2009 as an analgesic m ...
References
{{Cannabinoids
Cannabinoids
Designer drugs
Indolecarboxamides
Adamantanes