AMG-1
A synthetic Δ8-THC analogue with a heptynyl chain, a potent CB1 and CB2 agonist, with no human data.
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.
C₂₃H₃₀O₂
CID 10830874
- Family
- Synthetic CB receptor agonistResearch ligand or medicine
- Molar mass
- 338.50 g/mol
Updated on
In plain terms
AMG-1 is a molecule made in the laboratory, absent from hemp and from any living organism. It is a modified THC: chemists replaced its side chain with a longer, more rigid one, to understand how this part of the molecule fits into the receptors. It binds very strongly to cannabinoid receptors and produced THC-like effects in mice; no study in humans was found.
Receptors and activity
Target network
- Activates
The lower the cited value, the closer the target sits to AMG-1: 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 AMG-1.
CB1CB1 found in 7 regions of the body
- Basal gangliadenseMost dense in basal ganglia outflow nuclei1
- CerebellumdenseVery dense in the cerebellum1
- HippocampusdenseVery high concentrations in the hippocampus2
- AmygdaladenseHigh concentrations in the amygdala2
- CortexpresentPresent throughout the neocortex2
- Adipose tissuepresentExpressed in adipose tissue3
- GutpresentColonic epithelium, smooth muscle and plexus4
Map sources
- Herkenham M et al. Cannabinoid receptor localization in brain. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 1990 (new tab)
- 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)
- Engeli S et al. Activation of the peripheral endocannabinoid system in human obesity. Diabetes, 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)
Cited values
- CB1AgonistKi = 0.7 nM · rat86 out of 100
Papahatjis et al., J Med Chem 1998 (values from ChEMBL, document CHEMBL1131321) (new tab) · [3H]CP 55,940 displacement, rat brain; 36 nM at human CB1 in an independent protocol (Crocker et al. 2007); agonism inferred from the mouse tetrad
- CB2AgonistKi = 3.1 nM · mouse75 out of 100
Papahatjis et al., J Med Chem 1998 (values from ChEMBL, document CHEMBL1131321) (new tab) · [3H]CP 55,940 displacement, mouse spleen; agonism not measured functionally
Pharmacology
AMG-1 is a synthetic classical cannabinoid: the dibenzopyran skeleton of Δ8-tetrahydrocannabinol, whose pentyl chain at position 3 was replaced by a hept-1-ynyl chain. This modification belongs to a programme of the late 1990s aimed at defining the requirements of the side chain; it gives a very high affinity for both cannabinoid receptors, with an inhibition constant of 0.65 nM at rat CB1 and 3.1 nM at mouse CB2 (Papahatjis et al. 1998, values from ChEMBL). Another laboratory reported 36 nM at human CB1 with its own protocol, a gap that argues for comparing only measurements obtained under the same conditions. In mice, doses of about 3 mg/kg produced reduced spontaneous activity, an effect in the tail-flick test and a fall in rectal temperature (Crocker et al. 2007). No data were found on in vitro functional efficacy, pharmacokinetics, metabolism or safety, nor any study in humans: AMG-1 remains a laboratory tool.
Key sources.
- Papahatjis DP et al. Pharmacophoric requirements for cannabinoid side chains: multiple bond and C1'-substituted Δ8-tetrahydrocannabinols. J Med Chem, 1998 (new tab)PMID 9544219
- Crocker PJ et al. The role of fluorine substitution in the structure-activity relationships (SAR) of classical cannabinoids. Bioorg Med Chem Lett, 2007 (new tab)PMID 17257842
- ChEMBL, activities of compound CHEMBL279147 (AMG-1 / O-964), documents CHEMBL1131321 and CHEMBL1147027 (new tab)
- PubChem, AMG-1, CID 10830874 (identifiers and properties) (new tab)
History
- Source
- An entirely synthetic molecule with no known natural occurrence: it is known neither in hemp nor in any other organism. It was prepared as a pharmacological probe to define the requirements of the side chain of classical cannabinoids (Papahatjis et al. 1998).
Origin
Laboratory synthesis
No biosynthetic pathway: AMG-1 comes from no plant or animal metabolism. It is a synthetic compound of the classical cannabinoid class, derived from the Δ8-THC skeleton.
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. AMG-1 is not named on the ANSM consolidated list of narcotics (updated 16/02/2026); on a literal reading, it falls within the generic benzo[c]chromene ring family of annex IV (decisions of 22 May and 3 June 2024): partly hydrogenated ring A, hydroxyl at position 1, an alkynyl (hept-1-ynyl) chain at position 3, two methyls at position 6 and a methyl at position 9. None of the clause's exclusions (CBN, CBNA, THCV, THCVA, THCA) applies. It is not entered by name in annex III (substances of Schedules I and II of the 1971 convention); whether it also falls under the generic entry « Tetrahydrocannabinols, their esters, ethers, salts… » is not settled.
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
classical
- 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
- Papahatjis DP et al. Pharmacophoric requirements for cannabinoid side chains: multiple bond and C1'-substituted Δ8-tetrahydrocannabinols. J Med Chem, 1998 (new tab)PMID 9544219
- Crocker PJ et al. The role of fluorine substitution in the structure-activity relationships (SAR) of classical cannabinoids. Bioorg Med Chem Lett, 2007 (new tab)PMID 17257842
- ChEMBL, activities of compound CHEMBL279147 (AMG-1 / O-964), documents CHEMBL1131321 and CHEMBL1147027 (new tab)
- PubChem, AMG-1, CID 10830874 (identifiers and properties) (new tab)
Identifiers
Names
- IUPAC name
- (6aR,10aR)-3-hept-1-ynyl-6,6,9-trimethyl-6a,7,10,10a-tetrahydrobenzo[c]chromen-1-ol
- Other names
- AMG1 · O-964 · 3-(1-heptynyl)-Δ8-THC
Identifiers
- Formula
- C₂₃H₃₀O₂
- PubChem CID
- 10830874(new tab)
- InChIKey
- PYCLMAJRHLLHNO-RTBURBONSA-N
- SMILES
- CCCCCC#CC1=
CC2= C([C@@H] 3CC(= CC[C@H] 3C(O2) (C) C) C) C(= C1) O
LLM ingestion format: a structured superset of the entry (identifiers, binding, versioned legal status). Full corpus.