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Synthetic

ACEA

Synthetic CB1 agonist derived from anandamide, a laboratory tool.

Unscheduled
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.

C₂₂H₃₆ClNO

CAS 220556-69-4

Family
Synthetic CB receptor agonistResearch ligand or medicine
Molar mass
366.00 g/mol

Updated on

In plain terms

ACEA is a laboratory molecule built on the model of anandamide, a messenger the body makes itself. It activates the CB1 receptor and serves as a scientific tool in animals; it does not come from hemp and is not in any consumer product. The data cited here are animal or cellular.

Receptors and activity

Target network

CB1AgonistKi = 1.4 nMbinding assay; species and preparation not specified in the abstract; agonist: inhibits forskolin-induced cAMP in CHO cells expressing human CB1
  • Activates
  • Binds or modulates

The lower the cited value, the closer the target sits to ACEA: 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 ACEA.

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. CB1AgonistKi = 1.4 nM81 out of 100

    Hillard et al., J Pharmacol Exp Ther 1999 (new tab) · binding assay; species and preparation not specified in the abstract; agonist: inhibits forskolin-induced cAMP in CHO cells expressing human CB1

  2. CB2Binding (function not established)Ki = 3.1 µM25 out of 100

    Hillard et al., J Pharmacol Exp Ther 1999 (new tab) · binding assay; species and preparation not specified in the abstract; low affinity, no functional effect measured at CB2

  3. TRPV1Modulatorno measured value cited
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

Described in 1999 as a chlorinated analogue of anandamide, ACEA binds the CB1 receptor with a Ki of 1.4 nM against 3.1 µM at CB2 (Hillard et al. 1999) and has been used as a selective CB1 agonist in rodents. In mice, ACEA (5 mg/kg intraperitoneally), combined with PMSF, a serine hydrolase inhibitor, strengthened the anticonvulsant effect of levetiracetam, but not that of five other antiepileptic drugs, in the 6-Hz corneal stimulation model (Luszczki et al. 2017). Its profile is not purely CB1: in rats, its joint vasodilation is not blocked by CB1 or CB2 antagonists but is reduced by capsazepine (Baker and McDougall 2004), and it has a dual action on CGRP release (Christiansen et al. 2022), so that part of its in vivo effects cannot be attributed to the cannabinoid receptor alone. The data cited are exclusively animal and cellular.

Key sources.

History

Source
A synthetic molecule, an analogue of anandamide in which the terminal hydroxyl of the ethanolamine is replaced by a chlorine atom (the 2-chloroethylamide of arachidonic acid). Absent from hemp; a research reagent.

Origin

Laboratory synthesis

No known biological pathway: a synthetic molecule, the chlorinated analogue of anandamide.

Classification

Family, origin and source verification

Family

Synthetic CB receptor agonist › Research ligand or medicine

Class

eicosanoid

Verification

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

Wikipedia (English)

Arachidonyl-2'-chloroethylamide (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. Hillard CJ et al., Synthesis and characterization of potent and selective agonists of the neuronal cannabinoid receptor (CB1), J Pharmacol Exp Ther, 1999 (new tab)PMID 10336536
  2. Baker CL, McDougall JJ, The cannabinomimetic arachidonyl-2-chloroethylamide (ACEA) acts on capsaicin-sensitive TRPV1 receptors but not cannabinoid receptors in rat joints, Br J Pharmacol, 2004 (new tab)PMID 15277316
  3. Christiansen IM et al., Dual action of the cannabinoid receptor 1 ligand arachidonyl-2'-chloroethylamide on calcitonin gene-related peptide release, J Headache Pain, 2022 (new tab)PMID 35189809
  4. Luszczki JJ et al., Effects of arachidonyl-2'-chloroethylamide (ACEA) on the protective action of various antiepileptic drugs in the 6-Hz corneal stimulation model in mice, PLoS One, 2017 (new tab)PMID 28859122
  5. ANSM, Consolidated list of substances classified as narcotics, updated 16 February 2026, annex IV (new tab)
  6. PubChem, Arachidonyl-2'-chloroethylamide, CID 5311006 (new tab)

Identifiers

Names

IUPAC name
(5Z,8Z,11Z,14Z)-N-(2-chloroethyl)icosa-5,8,11,14-tetraenamide
Other names
arachidonyl-2-chloroethylamide · arachidonyl-2'-chloroethylamide · arachidonoyl 2'-chloroethylamide · 2'-chloro-AEA · 2'-chloro-anandamide

Identifiers

Formula
C₂₂H₃₆ClNO
CAS
220556-69-4
PubChem CID
5311006(new tab)
InChIKey
SCJNCDSAIRBRIA-DOFZRALJSA-N
SMILES
CCCCC/C=C\C/C=C\C/C=C\C/C=C\CCCC(=O)NCCCl

Machine-readable entry (JSON)

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