JWH-133
A selective synthetic CB2 agonist (Ki 3.4 nM), a laboratory tool 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.
C₂₂H₃₂O
CAS 259869-55-1
- Family
- Synthetic CB receptor agonistResearch ligand or medicine
- Molar mass
- 312.50 g/mol
Updated on
In plain terms
JWH-133 is a molecule made entirely in the laboratory, absent from hemp and from any living organism. It was designed to bind almost only to the CB2 receptor, found mainly in immune cells, and very little to the CB1 receptor of the brain. It is a research reagent: no human study was found, and this substance is in no consumer product.
Receptors and activity
Target network
- Activates
- Binds or modulates
The lower the cited value, the closer the target sits to JWH-133: 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 JWH-133.
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 = 3.4 nM74 out of 100
Huffman et al., Bioorg Med Chem 1999 (new tab) · radioligand displacement; full agonist at mouse CB2 (2021 review)
- CB1Binding (function not established)Ki = 677 nM · human36 out of 100
Huffman et al., Bioorg Med Chem 1999 (new tab) · radioligand displacement; functional activity of 20% at 10 µM on human CB1 (2021 review)
Pharmacology
JWH-133 is a classical cannabinoid from the series developed by John W. Huffman, described in 1999 as a 1-deoxy analogue of Δ8-THC carrying a 1,1-dimethylbutyl chain at position 3 (Huffman et al., Bioorg Med Chem 1999, PMID 10658595). Removing the phenolic hydroxyl group sharply reduces affinity for CB1 while preserving that for CB2: the published values are an inhibition constant of 3.4 nM at CB2 against 677 nM at CB1, a ratio close to 200. The molecule behaves as a full agonist of mouse CB2, functionally inactive at human CB1 at 10 µM (Hashiesh et al. 2021), and serves as a pharmacological tool to isolate the CB2 component in animal models, its dependence on the receptor being illustrated by the disappearance of its effects in mice lacking CB2 (Zhang et al. 2021). No clinical trial, human pharmacokinetic profile, metabolism study or regulatory toxicology study was found; the authors of the 2021 review judge that safety and toxicity studies remain necessary before any move to humans.
Key sources.
- Huffman JW et al., Bioorg Med Chem 1999: 3-(1',1'-dimethylbutyl)-1-deoxy-Δ8-THC and related compounds, selective CB2 ligands (new tab)PMID 10658595
- Hashiesh HM et al., Front Pharmacol 2021: pharmacological properties, therapeutic potential and mechanisms of JWH133 (new tab)PMID 34393784
- Pertwee RG et al., Pharmacol Rev 2010 (IUPHAR): JWH-133, classical cannabinoid; CB1 and CB2 affinities (new tab)PMID 21079038
- Zhang HY et al., 2021: CB2 receptors of red nucleus glutamatergic neurons; JWH133 effects abolished in CB2 knockout mice (new tab)
- PubChem, compound CID 6918505 (JWH-133): identifiers and synonyms (new tab)
- ANSM, consolidated list of substances classified as narcotics (updated 16/02/2026): benzo[c]chromene generic clause, annex IV; JWH-133 absent from the named entries (new tab)
History
- Source
- An entirely synthetic molecule, with no known natural occurrence: it is present neither in hemp nor in any other documented organism. It is produced by organic synthesis in the laboratory and distributed as a reference substance intended for pharmacological research, never as a consumer ingredient.
Origin
Laboratory synthesis
No biosynthetic pathway: JWH-133 derives from no plant or animal metabolism. The compound comes exclusively from organic synthesis, by construction of the dibenzopyran skeleton of the classical cannabinoids with removal of the hydroxyl at position 1 and replacement of the pentyl chain by a 1,1-dimethylbutyl chain.
Legal framework
- European Union
No harmonised European Union control measure was found in the sources consulted; control is a matter for national legislation, which adopts generic definitions of differing scope: the status of this molecule may therefore vary from one country to another.
- France
JWH-133 is not named in any ANSM list: the consolidated list of substances classified as narcotics (updated 16/02/2026) cites many compounds of the Huffman series (JWH-018, JWH-073, JWH-250 and others) as well as the cannabinoids HU-210 and HU-243, but not JWH-133. Judging by its structure, the molecule falls under the generic clause of Annex IV introduced by the ANSM decision of 22 May 2024 and completed by that of 3 June 2024, which classifies as a narcotic any substance derived from the benzo[c]chromene nucleus, hydrogenated or not on ring A, substituted notably at position 3 by an alkyl chain, at position 6 by one or two alkyl groups and at position 9 by an alkyl group: 6,6,9-trimethyl-3-(2-methylpentan-2-yl)-6a,7,10,10a-tetrahydrobenzo[c]chromene meets this definition and falls under none of the exclusions provided (CBN, CBNA, THCV, THCVA, THCA). It is a classification by generic clause, not by name.
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
- Huffman JW et al., Bioorg Med Chem 1999: 3-(1',1'-dimethylbutyl)-1-deoxy-Δ8-THC and related compounds, selective CB2 ligands (new tab)PMID 10658595
- Hashiesh HM et al., Front Pharmacol 2021: pharmacological properties, therapeutic potential and mechanisms of JWH133 (new tab)PMID 34393784
- Pertwee RG et al., Pharmacol Rev 2010 (IUPHAR): JWH-133, classical cannabinoid; CB1 and CB2 affinities (new tab)PMID 21079038
- Zhang HY et al., 2021: CB2 receptors of red nucleus glutamatergic neurons; JWH133 effects abolished in CB2 knockout mice (new tab)
- PubChem, compound CID 6918505 (JWH-133): identifiers and synonyms (new tab)
- ANSM, consolidated list of substances classified as narcotics (updated 16/02/2026): benzo[c]chromene generic clause, annex IV; JWH-133 absent from the named entries (new tab)
Identifiers
Names
- IUPAC name
- (6aR,10aR)-6,6,9-trimethyl-3-(2-methylpentan-2-yl)-6a,7,10,10a-tetrahydrobenzo[c]chromene
- Other names
- JWH 133 · JWH133
Identifiers
- Formula
- C₂₂H₃₂O
- CAS
- 259869-55-1
- PubChem CID
- 6918505(new tab)
- InChIKey
- YSBFLLZNALVODA-RBUKOAKNSA-N
- SMILES
- CCCC(C)
(C) C1= CC2= C(C= C1) [C@@H] 3CC(= CC[C@H] 3C(O2) (C) C) C
LLM ingestion format: a structured superset of the entry (identifiers, binding, versioned legal status). Full corpus.