ECS modulator (research)
UnscheduledAM-1172AM-1172 (N-arachidonyl-4-hydroxybenzamide)
4-hydroxy-N-[(5Z,8Z,11Z,14Z)-icosa-5,8,11,14-tetraenyl]benzamide
Aliases.AM1172 · AM 1172 · N-arachidonyl 4-hydroxybenzamide · N-(5Z,8Z,11Z,14Z)-5,8,11,14-eicosatetraen-1-yl-4-hydroxybenzamide · 4-hydroxy-N-[(5Z,8Z,11Z,14Z)-icosa-5,8,11,14-tetraenyl]benzamide
FAAH-resistant anandamide analogue, used in the laboratory to block its reuptake.
Updated on
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.
Identifiers
- Formula
- C₂₇H₃₉NO₂
- Molar mass
- 409.60 g·mol⁻¹
- CAS
- -
- PubChem CID
- 10364179
- First described
- Décrit en 2004 dans les Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences par l'équipe de Daniele Piomelli (University of California, Irvine) associée à celle d'Alexandros Makriyannis (University of Connecticut). Le composé a été conçu selon une stratégie dite d'amide inversé, afin d'obtenir un inhibiteur du transport de l'anandamide qui échappe à l'hydrolyse enzymatique, contrairement à l'AM404 issu des mêmes laboratoires. Le préfixe AM désigne la série de composés de synthèse d'Alexandros Makriyannis, à laquelle appartient le numéro 1172.
- Origin
- An entirely synthetic molecule with no natural occurrence whatsoever: it is present neither in cannabis, nor in any other plant, nor in the human body, even though its fatty chain is that of anandamide. It circulates only as a reagent intended for research teams and enters no consumer product, whether food, cosmetic or therapeutic.
- InChIKey
- XCWBOAHOJHPWLA-DOFZRALJSA-N
In plain terms
AM-1172 is a laboratory-made molecule derived from anandamide, a cannabinoid the body produces itself. It does not come from hemp and is found in no product sold to the public: researchers use it to prevent cells from taking up anandamide, which increases the amount available. Its effects in humans are not known, for lack of any clinical trial, and cell studies show that it also damages healthy cells.
Receptors and activity
- Transport cellulaire de l'anandamideIC50 2,5 µM (astrocytome humain CCF-STTG1) et 2,1 µM (neurones corticaux de rat)Antagonist
- CB1IC50 271 nM en déplacement de radioligand ; EC50 86 nM sur la liaison du GTP-gamma-SPartial agonist
- CB2IC50 189 nM en déplacement de radioligand, activité fonctionnelle non caractériséeModulator
- FAAHAntagonist
- Agonist
- Partial agonist
- Antagonist
- Modulator
- Inverse agonist
Hover over a row for the precise value (Ki, EC50…)
Subjective signature
Hover over an axis to read its definition.
- Calm12
- Clarity5
- Sleep10
- Appetite10
- High6
Editorial estimate, not clinical.
Pharmacology
AM-1172 is a reverse-amide analogue of anandamide: the arachidonyl chain is linked to 4-hydroxybenzoic acid by an amide bond oriented in the opposite direction to that of anandamide and AM404, which makes it insensitive to hydrolysis. Its documented function is the inhibition of cellular anandamide transport, with an IC50 near 2 µM in human astrocytoma cells as in rat cortical neurons. The main contribution of the 2004 work is methodological: because AM-1172 is neither a substrate nor an inhibitor of FAAH and retains its effect in neurons from mice deprived of this enzyme, it served to establish that anandamide reuptake is a process distinct from its degradation, a question then under debate. The molecule is not, however, silent at the receptors: it binds CB1 and CB2 in the hundreds-of-nanomolar range and partially activates CB1, so that its biological effects combine elevation of anandamide with direct stimulation of the receptor. Beyond this characterisation, the literature remains thin: one study in mice reports a raised seizure threshold in the electroshock test after systemic administration, and two studies in tumour cell lines describe a fall in viability, but accompanied by at least as strong a toxicity towards healthy skin cells. Human data are entirely lacking: no pharmacokinetics, no clinical trial, no safety data in people.
Key sources.
- Fegley D, Kathuria S, Mercier R, et coll. Anandamide transport is independent of fatty-acid amide hydrolase activity and is blocked by the hydrolysis-resistant inhibitor AM1172. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2004.PMID 15138300
- Tutka P, Marzęda P, Zaluska K, et coll. Arvanil, olvanil, AM 1172 and LY 2183240 (various cannabinoid CB1 receptor agonists) increase the threshold for maximal electroshock-induced seizures in mice. Pharmacological Reports, 2018.PMID 29335158
- Marzęda P, et coll. AM1172 (a hydrolysis-resistant endocannabinoid analog that inhibits anandamide cellular uptake) reduces the viability of the various melanoma cells, but it exerts significant cytotoxic effects on healthy cells: an in vitro study based on isobolographic analysis. Pharmacological Reports, 2024.PMID 38019413
- Załuska-Ogryzek K, et coll. Isobolographic interactions of cannabidiol and AM 1172 with cisplatin in human neuroblastoma and glioblastoma cell lines: an in vitro study. Chemico-Biological Interactions, 2025.PMID 39828184
- PubChem, composé CID 10364179 (AM-1172, N-arachidonyl 4-hydroxybenzamide), National Library of Medicine.
- Arrêté du 22 février 1990 fixant la liste des substances classées comme stupéfiants, annexe IV (clause relative aux tétrahydrocannabinols, leurs esters, éthers et sels), Légifrance.
Origin (research tool)
No biosynthetic pathway: the molecule comes from no living organism. It belongs to the class of amides of a fatty amine and an aromatic acid, obtained by coupling arachidonylamine with 4-hydroxybenzoic acid.
Legal framework
France
An unclassified substance in France. It is named in no ANSM classification decision, and it is not caught by the generic clause of annex IV of the decree of 22 February 1990, which covers tetrahydrocannabinols, their esters, their ethers, their salts and the salts of those derivatives: AM-1172 is neither a tetrahydrocannabinol nor a tetrahydrocannabinol derivative, but the amide of a fatty amine and 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, lacking the benzochromene ring characteristic of the THCs. The other generic clauses of that annex, built on indole, indazole or benzo[c]chromene skeletons, likewise do not match its structure. Its only lawful framework is research: there is no marketing authorisation, no human use is authorised, and the molecule has no place in a product sold in a shop.
European Union
No international classification was found: the substance appears in no schedule of the 1961 and 1971 United Nations conventions, no review by the WHO expert committee is on record, and the European sources consulted mention it neither among the new psychoactive substances notified to the EUDA (formerly the EMCDDA) early warning system, nor among those that have been the subject of a risk assessment at Union level. In the European Union it therefore falls solely under the regime governing laboratory chemicals, with the corresponding labelling and safety obligations, and holds no status as a medicine.
Sources: EUR-Lex, UNODC, CND, ANSM, IUPHAR/BPS, ChEBI, EUDA. Our method.
Structural classification
- Class
- ECS modulator (research)
- Origin
- An entirely synthetic molecule with no natural occurrence whatsoever: it is present neither in cannabis, nor in any other plant, nor in the human body, even though its fatty chain is that of anandamide. It circulates only as a reagent intended for research teams and enters no consumer product, whether food, cosmetic or therapeutic.
- Status
- Unscheduled
Amide inversé de l'anandamide : N-arachidonyl-4-hydroxybenzamide, soit l'amide de l'arachidonylamine, chaîne icosatétraénoïque à quatre doubles liaisons cis, et de l'acide 4-hydroxybenzoïque. L'inversion de la liaison amide par rapport à l'anandamide et à l'AM404 est la modification qui lui confère sa résistance à l'hydrolyse par la FAAH.
Pharmacokinetics
Aucune étude de pharmacocinétique n'est publiée, chez l'animal comme chez l'humain : ni absorption, ni distribution, ni demi-vie, ni biodisponibilité orale ne sont documentées. Le seul élément indirect vient de l'expérience chez la souris, où une administration intrapéritonéale à des doses de l'ordre du milligramme par kilogramme produit un effet central sur le seuil convulsif, ce qui indique un passage de la barrière hémato-encéphalique sans en préciser l'ampleur.
Metabolism
Le composé a été conçu pour échapper au métabolisme qui inactive l'anandamide : il n'est pas hydrolysé par la FAAH et n'entre pas en compétition avec l'anandamide pour cette enzyme, ce qui a été vérifié sur homogénats cérébraux et sur neurones de souris dépourvues de FAAH. Aucun métabolite n'a été identifié, et aucune donnée n'existe sur les cytochromes P450, la glucuronoconjugaison ou l'excrétion. Une publication de 2024 le présente comme un inhibiteur de la FAAH, ce qui ne correspond pas à la caractérisation d'origine.
Toxicology and risks
Le signal le plus net est cellulaire : sur cellules cutanées humaines saines, la viabilité chute à des concentrations très basses, avec une IC50 de 2,76 µM sur les kératinocytes HaCaT et de 0,49 µM sur les mélanocytes HEMa-LP, soit bien en dessous des 17 à 23 µM mesurés sur quatre lignées de mélanome. L'indice de sélectivité reste inférieur à 0,3 pour les kératinocytes et à 0,03 pour les mélanocytes, ce qui a conduit les auteurs à écarter tout usage de la molécule seule comme agent anticancéreux. Aucune étude de toxicité réglementaire, aucune donnée d'exposition humaine et aucun cas d'intoxication ne sont documentés, la molécule ne circulant pas hors du laboratoire.
Detection and analysis
Aucune méthode de dépistage ou d'identification médico-légale n'est décrite dans la littérature consultée. La molécule n'appartient à aucun panel de toxicologie de routine et n'a pas été signalée dans des saisies : sa formule, sa masse et la clé InChI publiée par PubChem constituent les seuls repères disponibles pour une recherche ciblée par spectrométrie de masse.
References
- 1.Fegley D, Kathuria S, Mercier R, et coll. Anandamide transport is independent of fatty-acid amide hydrolase activity and is blocked by the hydrolysis-resistant inhibitor AM1172. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2004.PMID 15138300
- 2.Tutka P, Marzęda P, Zaluska K, et coll. Arvanil, olvanil, AM 1172 and LY 2183240 (various cannabinoid CB1 receptor agonists) increase the threshold for maximal electroshock-induced seizures in mice. Pharmacological Reports, 2018.PMID 29335158
- 3.Marzęda P, et coll. AM1172 (a hydrolysis-resistant endocannabinoid analog that inhibits anandamide cellular uptake) reduces the viability of the various melanoma cells, but it exerts significant cytotoxic effects on healthy cells: an in vitro study based on isobolographic analysis. Pharmacological Reports, 2024.PMID 38019413
- 4.Załuska-Ogryzek K, et coll. Isobolographic interactions of cannabidiol and AM 1172 with cisplatin in human neuroblastoma and glioblastoma cell lines: an in vitro study. Chemico-Biological Interactions, 2025.PMID 39828184
- 5.PubChem, composé CID 10364179 (AM-1172, N-arachidonyl 4-hydroxybenzamide), National Library of Medicine.
- 6.Arrêté du 22 février 1990 fixant la liste des substances classées comme stupéfiants, annexe IV (clause relative aux tétrahydrocannabinols, leurs esters, éthers et sels), Légifrance.
Structured data
- InChIKey
- XCWBOAHOJHPWLA-DOFZRALJSA-N
- SMILES
- CCCCC/C=C\C/C=C\C/C=C\C/C=C\CCCCNC(=O)C1=CC=C(C=C1)O
- Formula
- C27H39NO2
- Molar mass
- 409.60 g·mol⁻¹
- PubChem CID
- 10364179
LLM ingestion format: a structured superset of the entry (identifiers, binding, versioned legal status). Full corpus.