A-796260
Selective CB2 receptor agonist designed in the laboratory, with no human data at all.
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.
C₂₂H₃₀N₂O₂
CAS 895155-26-7
- Family
- Synthetic CB receptor agonistResearch ligand or medicine
- Molar mass
- 354.50 g/mol
Updated on
In plain terms
A-796260 is a laboratory molecule, developed by Abbott Laboratories to study pain. It exists in no plant. In rodents, it acts mainly on the CB2 receptor, the one of immune tissues, and at much higher concentrations on CB1; no study in humans was found.
Receptors and activity
Target network
- Activates
The lower the cited value, the closer the target sits to A-796260: 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 A-796260.
Map sources
- Galiègue S et al. Expression of central and peripheral cannabinoid receptors in human immune tissues and leukocyte subpopulations. Eur J Biochem, 1995 (new tab)
- Ständer S et al. Distribution of cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1) and 2 (CB2) on sensory nerve fibers and adnexal structures in human skin. J Dermatol Sci, 2005 (new tab)
- Wright K et al. Differential expression of cannabinoid receptors in the human colon: cannabinoids promote epithelial wound healing. Gastroenterology, 2005 (new tab)
- Rossi F et al. The endovanilloid/endocannabinoid system in human osteoclasts: possible involvement in bone formation and resorption. Bone, 2009 (new tab)
Cited values
- CB2AgonistKi = 4.4 nM · human73 out of 100
Yao et al., Br J Pharmacol 2008 (tables 1 and 2) (new tab) · radioligand binding, human CB2 (13.0 nM at rat CB2); cAMP inhibition: EC50 0.710 nM, efficacy 78% (CP 55,940 as reference)
- CB1AgonistEC50 = 983 nM · human33 out of 100
Yao et al., Br J Pharmacol 2008 (tables 1 and 2) (new tab) · cAMP inhibition, human CB1, efficacy 118%; binding Ki 845 nM (395 nM at rat CB1, EC50 286 nM)
Pharmacology
A-796260 is an indol-3-yl ketone of the aminoalkylindole family, bearing a 2,2,3,3-tetramethylcyclopropyl group on the carbonyl bridge and a 2-(morpholin-4-yl)ethyl chain on the indole nitrogen. Yao and colleagues measured an affinity of 4.37 nM at human CB2 against 845 nM at human CB1 (193-fold binding selectivity) and CB2 activation with an EC50 of 0.710 nM and 78% efficacy; at human CB1 the functional EC50 is 983 nM (118% efficacy). In rodent models of inflammatory, post-operative, neuropathic and osteoarthritic pain, the effect was blocked by CB2 antagonists but not by CB1 or μ-opioid antagonists, at doses (1 to 35 mg/kg intraperitoneally) with no significant effect on locomotor activity (Yao et al. 2008). The only toxicology study found, on human HepG2 liver cells, attributes to it a strong cytotoxic potential, comparable to that of the naphthoylindole JWH-200 and higher than that of 5F-EMB-PINACA (Gampfer et al. 2021). No clinical trial, human pharmacokinetic data or poisoning case was found in the sources consulted.
Key sources.
- Yao BB et al. In vitro and in vivo characterization of A-796260: a selective cannabinoid CB2 receptor agonist exhibiting analgesic activity in rodent pain models. Br J Pharmacol, 2008 (new tab)PMID 17994110
- Frost JM et al. Indol-3-ylcycloalkyl ketones: effects of N1 substituted indole side chain variations on CB2 cannabinoid receptor activity. J Med Chem, 2010 (new tab)PMID 19921781
- Gampfer TM et al. Cytotoxicity, metabolism, and isozyme mapping of the synthetic cannabinoids JWH-200, A-796260, and 5F-EMB-PINACA studied by means of in vitro systems. Arch Toxicol, 2021 (new tab)PMID 34453555
- PubChem, A-796260, CID 11584525 (identifiers and properties) (new tab)
History
- Source
- A pharmaceutical laboratory compound. A-796260 comes from the medicinal chemistry programme of Abbott Laboratories on selective CB2 receptor agonists (Yao et al. 2008; Frost et al. 2010). It is not known in hemp or any other plant; no clinical trial registered on ClinicalTrials.gov was found.
Origin
Laboratory synthesis
No known biological pathway: the molecule is entirely synthetic and absent from any living organism. Chemically it belongs to the indol-3-yl ketones.
Legal framework
- European Union
The substance is not listed in the Annex to Council Framework Decision 2004/757/JHA (consolidated version of 12 January 2026), which lists the new psychoactive substances controlled at European Union level; control is a matter for national law. No marketing authorisation was found; the status may differ from one Member State to another.
- France
Controlled through a generic clause, without being named. A-796260 is not named on the ANSM consolidated list of narcotics (updated 16/02/2026) but, on a literal reading, falls within the generic family of indol-3-yl methanones of annex IV (entry « The following cannabinoids, together with their isomers… »): the indole nitrogen carries a 2-(4-morpholinyl)ethyl substituent and the methanone bridge carbon a cyclopropyl group. Two analogues bearing the same tetramethylcyclopropyl group, A-834,735 and AB-005, are named in the same family. It is not entered in annex III (substances of Schedules I and II of the 1971 convention); the generic clause on tetrahydrocannabinols does not apply, as the molecule is not a THC derivative.
Sources: EUR-Lex, UNODC, CND, ANSM, IUPHAR/BPS, ChEBI, EUDA. Our method.
Classification
Family, origin and source verification
- Family
Synthetic CB receptor agonist › Research ligand or medicine
- Class
aminoalkylindole
- Verification
Classification, sources and binding values checked on 20 October 2026; text read against its sources and Wikipedia.
- Wikipedia (English)
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
- Yao BB et al. In vitro and in vivo characterization of A-796260: a selective cannabinoid CB2 receptor agonist exhibiting analgesic activity in rodent pain models. Br J Pharmacol, 2008 (new tab)PMID 17994110
- Frost JM et al. Indol-3-ylcycloalkyl ketones: effects of N1 substituted indole side chain variations on CB2 cannabinoid receptor activity. J Med Chem, 2010 (new tab)PMID 19921781
- Gampfer TM et al. Cytotoxicity, metabolism, and isozyme mapping of the synthetic cannabinoids JWH-200, A-796260, and 5F-EMB-PINACA studied by means of in vitro systems. Arch Toxicol, 2021 (new tab)PMID 34453555
- PubChem, A-796260, CID 11584525 (identifiers and properties) (new tab)
Identifiers
Names
- IUPAC name
- [1-(2-morpholin-4-ylethyl)indol-3-yl]-(2,2,3,3-tetramethylcyclopropyl)methanone
- Other names
- A-796,260
Identifiers
- Formula
- C₂₂H₃₀N₂O₂
- CAS
- 895155-26-7
- PubChem CID
- 11584525(new tab)
- InChIKey
- ZCFHOMLAFTWDFM-UHFFFAOYSA-N
- SMILES
- CC1(C(C1(C)
C) C(= O) C2= CN(C3= CC= CC= C32) CCN4CCOCC4) C
LLM ingestion format: a structured superset of the entry (identifiers, binding, versioned legal status). Full corpus.