HU-308 (also known as onternabez, HU308, PPP-003 and ARDS-003) is a

cannabidiol Cannabidiol (CBD) is a phytocannabinoid discovered in 1940. It is one of 113 identified cannabinoids in cannabis plants, along with tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), and accounts for up to 40% of the plant's extract. , clinical research on CBD incl ...

(CBD)-derivative drug that acts as a potent

cannabinoid Cannabinoids () are several structural classes of compounds found in the cannabis plant primarily and most animal organisms (although insects lack such receptors) or as synthetic compounds. The most notable cannabinoid is the phytocannabinoid tet ...

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 ...

. It is highly selective for the cannabinoid-2 receptor (CB₂ receptor) subtype, with a selectivity more than 5,000 times greater for the CB₂ receptor than the CB₁ receptor. The

synthesis Synthesis or synthesize may refer to: Science Chemistry and biochemistry *Chemical synthesis, the execution of chemical reactions to form a more complex molecule from chemical precursors ** Organic synthesis, the chemical synthesis of organ ...

and characterization of HU-308 took place in the laboratory of

Raphael Mechoulam Raphael Mechoulam ( he, רפאל משולם, bg, Рафаел Мешулам; born 5 November 1930) is an Israeli organic chemist and professor of Medicinal Chemistry at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Israel. Mechoulam is best known for h ...

at the

Hebrew University of Jerusalem The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI; he, הַאוּנִיבֶרְסִיטָה הַעִבְרִית בִּירוּשָׁלַיִם) is a public research university based in Jerusalem, Israel. Co-founded by Albert Einstein and Dr. Chaim Weiz ...

(the HU in HU-308) in the late 1990s. The

pinene Pinene is a collection of unsaturated bicyclic monoterpenes. Two geometric isomers of pinene are found in nature, α-pinene and β-pinene. Both are chiral. As the name suggests, pinenes are found in pines. Specifically, pinene is the major compo ...

dimethoxy-DMH-CBD derivative HU-308 was identified as a potent peripheral CB₂-selective agonist in ''in vitro'' and animal studies in 1990 and 1999.

Legal status

Tetra Bio-Pharma owns the intellectual property rights to HU-308. HU-308 is non-psychoactive and not scheduled at the federal level in the United States. It is a Schedule I

controlled substance A controlled substance is generally a drug or chemical whose manufacture, possession and use is regulated by a government, such as illicitly used drugs or prescription medications that are designated by law. Some treaties, notably the Single C ...

in the state of

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

making it illegal to buy, sell, or possess there.Florida Statutes - Chapter 893 - Drug abuse prevention and control
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References

{{Cannabinoids

Legal status

References

See also