Synthetic cannabinoid (SCRA)
UnscheduledAM-4030
(6S,6aR,9R,10aR)-9-(hydroxymethyl)-6-[(E)-3-hydroxyprop-1-enyl]-6-methyl-3-(2-methyloctan-2-yl)-6a,7,8,9,10,10a-hexahydrobenzo[c]chromen-1-ol
Aliases.AM4030 · AM 4030
A hybrid laboratory cannabinoid, a potent CB1 agonist: no human data.
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
- C₂₇H₄₂O₄
- Molar mass
- 430.31 g·mol⁻¹
- CAS
- -
- PubChem CID
- 10550598
- First described
- Décrite dans les années 1990 par le laboratoire d'Alexandros Makriyannis, aux États-Unis, en collaboration avec le chimiste Marcus A. Tius, au sein d'une série d'hybrides classiques/non classiques explorant le rôle de la chaîne hydroxyalkyle dite « sud » (Tius et coll., 1995 ; Drake et coll., 1998). La séparation de ses deux énantiomères et leur évaluation de liaison sur CB1 et CB2 ont été publiées en 2002 par Thakur et coll. Le sigle AM reprend les initiales de Makriyannis.
- Origin
- A wholly synthetic molecule, absent from hemp and from every living organism. It was prepared in an academic laboratory as a pharmacological tool, in order to map the binding site of the cannabinoid receptors by combining on a single scaffold the features of the classical cannabinoids and the side hydroxyl of the non-classical cannabinoids of the CP series. It has never been the subject of pharmaceutical development and has not been reported, in the sources consulted, among the substances seized on the market for herbal smoking mixtures.
- InChIKey
- SYKOWCSKDYZBIL-BKTWVJDESA-N
In plain terms
AM-4030 is a laboratory molecule, made by chemists in the 1990s to study the receptors on which cannabis acts. It does not exist in hemp and has never been a consumer product: it binds to the same receptors as THC, but much more strongly. In France it has fallen under the narcotics schedule since 2024, and human data are entirely lacking.
Receptors and activity
- CB1Agonist
- CB2Agonist
- 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.
- Calm5
- Clarity5
- Sleep5
- Appetite5
- High5
Editorial estimate, not clinical.
Pharmacology
AM-4030 is an agonist at the CB1 and CB2 cannabinoid receptors, derived from HU-210, whose benzo[c]chromene ring and 1,1-dimethylheptyl chain it retains. Its distinctive feature is structural: an (E)-3-hydroxyprop-1-enyl chain, rigidified at position 6, grafts onto a classical cannabinoid scaffold the 'southern' hydroxyl of the non-classical cannabinoids of the CP series, which makes it the type example of the so-called hybrid cannabinoids in the UNODC chemical classification. The available literature is narrow and bears essentially on receptor binding: in 2002 Thakur et al. separated the two enantiomers of the racemate and showed that the laevorotatory isomer possesses very high affinity for CB1, with about sevenfold selectivity over CB2. What has not been established counts just as much: the functional efficacy proper to AM-4030 is not documented, and the properties of its parent compound HU-210, a full CB1 agonist, are those of HU-210 and cannot be transposed to it. No human data and no pharmacokinetic, metabolism or toxicology study have been published on this molecule. The point that matters in harm reduction is that of the class: synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists activate CB1 fully, where THC activates it only partially, and this difference explains the severity of the poisonings reported for other members of the family.
Key sources.
- Thakur GA, Palmer SL, Harrington PE, Stergiades IA, Tius MA, Makriyannis A. Enantiomeric resolution of a novel chiral cannabinoid receptor ligand. J Biochem Biophys Methods, 2002 ; 54(1-3):415-22.PMID 12543516
- Drake DJ, Jensen RS, Busch-Petersen J, Kawakami JK, Fernandez-Garcia MC, Fan P, Makriyannis A, Tius MA. Classical/nonclassical hybrid cannabinoids: southern aliphatic chain-functionalized C-6beta methyl, ethyl, and propyl analogues. J Med Chem, 1998 ; 41(19):3596-608.PMID 9733485
- Tius MA, Hill WA, Zou XL, Busch-Petersen J, Kawakami JK, Fernandez-Garcia MC, Drake DJ, Abadji V, Makriyannis A. Classical/non-classical cannabinoid hybrids; stereochemical requirements for the southern hydroxyalkyl chain. Life Sciences, 1995 ; 56(23-24):2007-12.PMID 7776825
- Tettey JNA, Crean C, Rodrigues J et coll. (ONUDC). Recommended methods for the identification and analysis of synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists in seized materials. Forensic Science International: Synergy, 2021 ; 3:100129.PMID 33665591
- ONUDC. Méthodes recommandées pour l'identification et l'analyse des agonistes synthétiques des récepteurs cannabinoïdes contenus dans des substances saisies (ST/NAR/48), Nations Unies, 2014.
- ANSM. Décision du 22/05/2024 portant modification de la liste des substances classées comme stupéfiants (clause générique benzo[c]chromène).
- Légifrance. Arrêté du 22 février 1990 fixant la liste des substances classées comme stupéfiants, annexe IV.
- PubChem. AM-4030, CID 10550598 (identifiants, structure).
Origin (pharmaceutical research → illicit market)
No biological pathway: AM-4030 comes from no plant and has no known natural precursor. It is obtained by total chemical synthesis, within the family of classical cannabinoids with a benzo[c]chromene ring.
Legal framework
France
AM-4030 is not cited by name in annex IV of the decree of 22 February 1990. It does, however, fall under a generic clause: the ANSM decision of 22 May 2024 added to that annex any substance derived from the benzo[c]chromene ring, non-, partially or fully hydrogenated on ring A, bearing in particular a hydroxyl at position 1, an alkyl chain at position 3 and a hydroxyalkyl function at position 9, with cannabinol as the sole exception. AM-4030 combines these features: a fully hydrogenated benzo[c]chromene ring, a hydroxyl at 1, a 1,1-dimethylheptyl chain at 3, a hydroxymethyl at 9. It is therefore not the clause covering the tetrahydrocannabinols and their esters or ethers that applies, but this generic clause, which came into force at the beginning of June 2024. On that basis the molecule falls under the criminal regime for narcotics.
European Union
AM-4030 does not appear in the schedules of the 1961 Single Convention or in those of the 1971 Convention, and has been the subject of no control measure of its own at European Union level: the European decisions have targeted synthetic agonists actually circulating on the market, not this laboratory molecule. Its status therefore varies between Member States, several of which apply generic definitions of chemical families liable to cover benzo[c]chromene derivatives. The UNODC places it among the hybrid cannabinoids in its manual for national drug analysis laboratories.
Sources: EUR-Lex, UNODC, CND, ANSM, IUPHAR/BPS, ChEBI, EUDA. Our method.
Structural classification
- Class
- Synthetic cannabinoid (SCRA)
- Origin
- A wholly synthetic molecule, absent from hemp and from every living organism. It was prepared in an academic laboratory as a pharmacological tool, in order to map the binding site of the cannabinoid receptors by combining on a single scaffold the features of the classical cannabinoids and the side hydroxyl of the non-classical cannabinoids of the CP series. It has never been the subject of pharmaceutical development and has not been reported, in the sources consulted, among the substances seized on the market for herbal smoking mixtures.
- Status
- Unscheduled
Cannabinoïde hybride classique/non classique. Noyau benzo[c]chromène totalement hydrogéné, de type hexahydrocannabinol, portant une chaîne 1,1-diméthylheptyle en position 3, un hydroxyle phénolique en position 1 et un hydroxyméthyle en position 9. La position 6 porte un méthyle et une chaîne (E)-3-hydroxyprop-1-ényle rigidifiée par sa double liaison, qui reproduit l'hydroxyle latéral des cannabinoïdes non classiques de la série CP sur un squelette de cannabinoïde classique.
Pharmacokinetics
Aucune étude de pharmacocinétique publiée pour cette molécule : ni l'absorption, ni la distribution, ni la demi-vie ne sont documentées, chez l'animal comme chez l'humain.
Metabolism
Aucune étude de métabolisme publiée pour AM-4030 : les métabolites formés et les enzymes impliquées ne sont pas connus.
Toxicology and risks
Aucune étude de toxicologie et aucun cas clinique publié ne concernent AM-4030 : les données humaines manquent totalement. Le risque se raisonne donc au niveau de la classe. L'ONUDC souligne que les agonistes synthétiques des récepteurs cannabinoïdes présentent une toxicité aiguë et à long terme plus élevée que le cannabis et un potentiel de dépendance supérieur, lié à une tolérance qui s'installe plus vite. La cause tient au mode d'activation : ces molécules activent CB1 de façon complète, alors que le THC n'en est qu'un agoniste partiel. Les intoxications sévères décrites dans la littérature, convulsions, états confusionnels, troubles graves du rythme cardiaque, vomissements incoercibles, atteintes rénales aiguës et décès, concernent d'autres membres de la famille et non AM-4030 lui-même ; elles ne lui sont pas attribuables en l'état des publications.
Detection and analysis
Aucune méthode de dépistage ni de dosage biologique propre à AM-4030 n'a été publiée, et aucun étalon de référence n'est décrit dans les sources consultées. La molécule sert d'exemple de la classe des cannabinoïdes hybrides dans le manuel de l'ONUDC destiné aux laboratoires nationaux d'analyse des drogues (ST/NAR/48, 2014), qui décrit pour cette famille de composés la chromatographie en phase gazeuse couplée à la spectrométrie de masse, la chromatographie liquide avec spectrométrie de masse en tandem, la spectroscopie infrarouge et la résonance magnétique nucléaire. Aucune saisie de cette substance n'a été retrouvée dans les sources officielles consultées.
References
- 1.Thakur GA, Palmer SL, Harrington PE, Stergiades IA, Tius MA, Makriyannis A. Enantiomeric resolution of a novel chiral cannabinoid receptor ligand. J Biochem Biophys Methods, 2002 ; 54(1-3):415-22.PMID 12543516
- 2.Drake DJ, Jensen RS, Busch-Petersen J, Kawakami JK, Fernandez-Garcia MC, Fan P, Makriyannis A, Tius MA. Classical/nonclassical hybrid cannabinoids: southern aliphatic chain-functionalized C-6beta methyl, ethyl, and propyl analogues. J Med Chem, 1998 ; 41(19):3596-608.PMID 9733485
- 3.Tius MA, Hill WA, Zou XL, Busch-Petersen J, Kawakami JK, Fernandez-Garcia MC, Drake DJ, Abadji V, Makriyannis A. Classical/non-classical cannabinoid hybrids; stereochemical requirements for the southern hydroxyalkyl chain. Life Sciences, 1995 ; 56(23-24):2007-12.PMID 7776825
- 4.Tettey JNA, Crean C, Rodrigues J et coll. (ONUDC). Recommended methods for the identification and analysis of synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists in seized materials. Forensic Science International: Synergy, 2021 ; 3:100129.PMID 33665591
- 5.ONUDC. Méthodes recommandées pour l'identification et l'analyse des agonistes synthétiques des récepteurs cannabinoïdes contenus dans des substances saisies (ST/NAR/48), Nations Unies, 2014.
- 6.ANSM. Décision du 22/05/2024 portant modification de la liste des substances classées comme stupéfiants (clause générique benzo[c]chromène).
- 7.Légifrance. Arrêté du 22 février 1990 fixant la liste des substances classées comme stupéfiants, annexe IV.
- 8.PubChem. AM-4030, CID 10550598 (identifiants, structure).
Structured data
- InChIKey
- SYKOWCSKDYZBIL-BKTWVJDESA-N
- SMILES
- CCCCCCC(C)(C)C1=CC2=C([C@@H]3C[C@@H](CC[C@H]3[C@](O2)(C)/C=C/CO)CO)C(=C1)O
- Formula
- C27H42O4
- Molar mass
- 430.31 g·mol⁻¹
- PubChem CID
- 10550598
LLM ingestion format: a structured superset of the entry (identifiers, binding, versioned legal status). Full corpus.