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Synthetic

5F-AKB-48Also known as 5F-APINACA

A synthetic cannabinoid, agonist at CB1 and CB2, a listed narcotic; 304 acute exposures recorded in France from 2017 to 2024.

Narcotic: named in schedule
Level of detail

Harm-reduction warning

No characterised human dose: animal / in vitro data only. Effect profile, safety margin and acute toxicity are not documented in human clinical practice. Extremely potent compound: severe effects, seizures and deaths reported in the literature.

C₂₃H₃₀FN₃O

CAS 1400742-13-3

Family
Synthetic CB receptor agonistNew psychoactive substance
Molar mass
383.51 g/mol

Updated on

In plain terms

5F-AKB-48 is a laboratory molecule with no link to hemp. Marketed as incense, as herbs or as liquids compatible with the e-cigarette, it acts on the same receptors as THC. French poison control centres recorded 304 acute exposures from 2017 to 2024, mostly in adolescent males; it is a listed narcotic.

Receptors and activity

Target network

CB1Agonistno measured value
  • Activates
  • Blocks or inhibits

The lower the cited value, the closer the target sits to 5F-AKB-48: one ring per factor of 100. A target with no measured value stays on the edge.

Where these targets live

Where each target has been found in humans, according to the cited studies. The map shows the target, not an effect of 5F-AKB-48.

Brain, side view
Body, front view
Blood

CB1CB1 found in 7 regions of the body

  1. Basal gangliadenseMost dense in basal ganglia outflow nuclei1
  2. CerebellumdenseVery dense in the cerebellum1
  3. HippocampusdenseVery high concentrations in the hippocampus2
  4. AmygdaladenseHigh concentrations in the amygdala2
  5. CortexpresentPresent throughout the neocortex2
  6. Adipose tissuepresentExpressed in adipose tissue3
  7. GutpresentColonic epithelium, smooth muscle and plexus4

Map sources

  1. Herkenham M et al. Cannabinoid receptor localization in brain. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 1990 (new tab)
  2. Glass M et al. Cannabinoid receptors in the human brain: a detailed anatomical and quantitative autoradiographic study in the fetal, neonatal and adult human brain. Neuroscience, 1997 (new tab)
  3. Engeli S et al. Activation of the peripheral endocannabinoid system in human obesity. Diabetes, 2005 (new tab)
  4. Wright K et al. Differential expression of cannabinoid receptors in the human colon: cannabinoids promote epithelial wound healing. Gastroenterology, 2005 (new tab)

Cited values

  1. CB1Agonistno measured value cited
  2. CB2Agonistno measured value cited
  3. hERG potassium channelInhibitorIC50 = 2.2 µM · human28 out of 100

    Cheng et al. 2025, Biochem Pharmacol (new tab) · patch-clamp, HEK293 cells expressing hERG

Bar length follows the measured value (Ki, Kd, EC50 or IC50), on one scale shared by every entry, from 100 µM to 0.1 nM. A target with no cited value has no bar.

Pharmacology

5F-AKB-48 (5F-APINACA) is a synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonist of the indazole-3-carboxamide subclass, the 5-fluoropentyl homologue of APINACA. Canazza et al. (2016) show nanomolar affinity and potency at murine and human receptors; in mice it causes hypothermia, a raised pain threshold, catalepsy and reduced motor activity, but also seizures, myoclonia and hyperreflexia, and it stimulates dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens; the CB1 antagonist AM 251 prevents these effects. Pinson et al. (2020) observe effects more potent but shorter-lasting than those of Δ9-THC. A hydroxylated metabolite retains high affinity for CB1 with an efficacy greater than that of THC: biotransformation is therefore not a mere detoxification. French poison control centres recorded 304 exposures between 2017 and 2024 (median age 16.5 years); among exposures to 5F-AKB-48 alone, 59% of cases were mild, 35% moderate and 4% severe (seizures, coma, agitation), with no reported death, the outcome being unknown in 36% of cases (Harmel et al. 2025). No clinical trial was found in the sources consulted. It has been in Schedule II of the 1971 Convention since CND decision 60/10 (16 March 2017).

Key sources.

History

Source
Wholly synthetic origin: the molecule is found neither in hemp nor in any known plant. It is marketed as incense, plant-based preparations or a « chemical supply » (Canazza et al. 2016) and, in France, in liquid forms compatible with the e-cigarette (Harmel et al. 2025).

Origin

Laboratory synthesis

No known biological pathway: the molecule is produced by no living organism. It is a synthetic molecule of the indazole-3-carboxamide class, described here by its chemical class only: the 5-fluoropentyl homologue of APINACA (AKB-48).

Classification

Family, origin and source verification

Family

Synthetic CB receptor agonist › New psychoactive substance

Class

indazole-3-carboxamide

Verification

Classification, sources and binding values checked on 20 October 2026; text read against its sources and Wikipedia.

Wikipedia (English)

5F-APINACA (new tab)

Article paired by the molecule's structure (InChIKey), revision read on 19 October 2026. Read as a second opinion, never cited as a source.

References

  1. Hess et al. · Forensic Toxicol 2016 (new tab)PMID 27429655
  2. Canazza et al. · Psychopharmacology 2016 (new tab)PMID 27527584
  3. Pinson et al. · Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2020 (new tab)PMID 32413436
  4. Crosby et al. · Metabolites 2022 (new tab)PMID 36005645
  5. Karinen et al. · Forensic Sci Int 2015 (new tab)PMID 25485949
  6. Harmel et al. · Int J Drug Policy 2025 (new tab)PMID 40876066
  7. Cheng et al. · Biochem Pharmacol 2025 (new tab)PMID 40848856

Identifiers

Names

Common name
5F-AKB-48 (5F-APINACA)
IUPAC name
N-(1-adamantyl)-1-(5-fluoropentyl)indazole-3-carboxamide
Other names
5F-APINACA · 5F-AKB48

Identifiers

Formula
C₂₃H₃₀FN₃O
CAS
1400742-13-3
PubChem CID
71711119(new tab)
InChIKey
UCMFSGVIEPXYIV-UHFFFAOYSA-N
SMILES
C1C2CC3CC1CC(C2)(C3)NC(=O)C4=NN(C5=CC=CC=C54)CCCCCF

Machine-readable entry (JSON)

LLM ingestion format: a structured superset of the entry (identifiers, binding, versioned legal status). Full corpus.