Skip to main content
Advertisement

Main menu

  • Home
  • Articles
    • Current Issue
    • Fast Forward
    • Latest Articles
    • Special Sections
    • Archive
  • Information
    • Instructions to Authors
    • Submit a Manuscript
    • FAQs
    • For Subscribers
    • Terms & Conditions of Use
    • Permissions
  • Editorial Board
  • Alerts
    • Alerts
    • RSS Feeds
  • Virtual Issues
  • Feedback
  • Submit
  • Other Publications
    • Drug Metabolism and Disposition
    • Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics
    • Molecular Pharmacology
    • Pharmacological Reviews
    • Pharmacology Research & Perspectives
    • ASPET

User menu

  • My alerts
  • Log in
  • My Cart

Search

  • Advanced search
Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics
  • Other Publications
    • Drug Metabolism and Disposition
    • Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics
    • Molecular Pharmacology
    • Pharmacological Reviews
    • Pharmacology Research & Perspectives
    • ASPET
  • My alerts
  • Log in
  • My Cart
Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics

Advanced Search

  • Home
  • Articles
    • Current Issue
    • Fast Forward
    • Latest Articles
    • Special Sections
    • Archive
  • Information
    • Instructions to Authors
    • Submit a Manuscript
    • FAQs
    • For Subscribers
    • Terms & Conditions of Use
    • Permissions
  • Editorial Board
  • Alerts
    • Alerts
    • RSS Feeds
  • Virtual Issues
  • Feedback
  • Submit
  • Visit jpet on Facebook
  • Follow jpet on Twitter
  • Follow jpet on LinkedIn
Research ArticleBEHAVIORAL PHARMACOLOGY

Cannabimimetic Properties of Ajulemic Acid

Robert E. Vann, Charles D. Cook, Billy R. Martin and Jenny L. Wiley
Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics February 2007, 320 (2) 678-686; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1124/jpet.106.111625
Robert E. Vann
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Charles D. Cook
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Billy R. Martin
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Jenny L. Wiley
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • Article
  • Figures & Data
  • Info & Metrics
  • eLetters
  • PDF
Loading

Abstract

Side effects of marijuana-based drugs and synthetic analogs of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC), including sedation and dysphoria, have limited their therapeutic application. Ajulemic acid (AJA), a side-chain synthetic analog of Δ8-THC-11-oic acid, has been reported to have anti-inflammatory properties without producing undesired psychoactive effects. Moreover, it has been suggested that AJA does not interact with cannabinoid receptors to produce its pharmacological effects. The aim of the present study was to conduct a thorough evaluation of the pharmacological effects of AJA then to determine whether actions at cannabinoid receptor (CB)1 mediated these effects. This study evaluated the psychoactive and analgesic effects of AJA by examining its cannabimimetic properties in ICR mice (i.e., antinociception, catalepsy, hypothermia, and hypomobility), its discriminative stimulus effects in Long Evans rats trained in a two-lever Δ9-THC (3.0 mg/kg) versus vehicle drug discrimination procedure, and its antihyperalgesia effects in a rat model of inflammatory pain [complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA)-induced mechanical hyperalgesia]. Lastly, antagonism tests with SR 141716A [N-(piperidin-1-yl)-5-(4-chlorophenyl)-1-(2,4-dichlorophenyl)-4-methyl-1H-pyrazole-3-carboximide hydrochloride], CB1 receptor antagonist, were conducted. These studies demonstrated that AJA shares a number of CB1-mediated pharmacological properties with Δ9-THC, including cannabimimetic, discriminative stimulus, and antihyperalgesic effects. Furthermore, a separation between doses that produced antinociception and those that produced the other pharmacological effects in mice was not observed. Moreover, AJA showed nearly equipotency for therapeutic efficacy in the CFA model and for substitution in Δ9-THC discrimination. In summary, this study shows that AJA, like Δ9-THC, exhibits psychoactive and therapeutic effects at nearly equal doses in preclinical models, suggesting similar limitations in their putative therapeutic profiles.

Footnotes

  • This work was supported by National Institute on Drug Abuse Grants DA-05488 and DA-03672 and by Virginia Commonwealth University Institute of Drug and Alcohol Studies.

  • Article, publication date, and citation information can be found at http://jpet.aspetjournals.org.

  • doi:10.1124/jpet.106.111625.

  • ABBREVIATIONS: Δ9-THC, Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol; AJA, ajulemic acid (1′,1′-dimethylheptyl-Δ8-tetrahydrocannabinol-11-oic acid); CFA, complete Freund's adjuvant; MPE, percentage of maximal possible effect in tail-flick test; SR 141716A, N-(piperidin-1-yl)-5-(4-chlorophenyl)-1-(2,4-dichlorophenyl)-4-methyl-1H-pyrazole-3-carboximide hydrochloride; SR144528, N-[-(1S)-endo-1,3,3-trimethyl bicyclo [2,2,1] heptan-2-yl]-5-(4-chloro-3-methyl-phenyl)-1-(4methylbenzyl)-pyrazole-3-carboxamide; FR-10, fixed-ratio 10; VEH, vehicle; CB, cannabinoid receptor; ANOVA, analysis of variance; CL, confidence limit.

    • Received July 26, 2006.
    • Accepted November 10, 2006.
  • The American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics
View Full Text

JPET articles become freely available 12 months after publication, and remain freely available for 5 years. 

Non-open access articles that fall outside this five year window are available only to institutional subscribers and current ASPET members, or through the article purchase feature at the bottom of the page. 

 

  • Click here for information on institutional subscriptions.
  • Click here for information on individual ASPET membership.

 

Log in using your username and password

Forgot your user name or password?

Purchase access

You may purchase access to this article. This will require you to create an account if you don't already have one.
Back to top

In this issue

Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics: 384 (2)
Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics
Vol. 384, Issue 2
1 Feb 2023
  • Table of Contents
  • Table of Contents (PDF)
  • About the Cover
  • Index by author
  • Editorial Board (PDF)
  • Front Matter (PDF)
Download PDF
Article Alerts
Sign In to Email Alerts with your Email Address
Email Article

Thank you for sharing this Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics article.

NOTE: We request your email address only to inform the recipient that it was you who recommended this article, and that it is not junk mail. We do not retain these email addresses.

Enter multiple addresses on separate lines or separate them with commas.
Cannabimimetic Properties of Ajulemic Acid
(Your Name) has forwarded a page to you from Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics
(Your Name) thought you would be interested in this article in Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics.
CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
Citation Tools
Research ArticleBEHAVIORAL PHARMACOLOGY

Cannabimimetic Properties of Ajulemic Acid

Robert E. Vann, Charles D. Cook, Billy R. Martin and Jenny L. Wiley
Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics February 1, 2007, 320 (2) 678-686; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1124/jpet.106.111625

Citation Manager Formats

  • BibTeX
  • Bookends
  • EasyBib
  • EndNote (tagged)
  • EndNote 8 (xml)
  • Medlars
  • Mendeley
  • Papers
  • RefWorks Tagged
  • Ref Manager
  • RIS
  • Zotero

Share
Research ArticleBEHAVIORAL PHARMACOLOGY

Cannabimimetic Properties of Ajulemic Acid

Robert E. Vann, Charles D. Cook, Billy R. Martin and Jenny L. Wiley
Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics February 1, 2007, 320 (2) 678-686; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1124/jpet.106.111625
del.icio.us logo Digg logo Reddit logo Twitter logo Facebook logo Google logo Mendeley logo
  • Tweet Widget
  • Facebook Like
  • Google Plus One

Jump to section

  • Article
    • Abstract
    • Materials and Methods
    • Results
    • Discussion
    • Footnotes
    • References
  • Figures & Data
  • Info & Metrics
  • eLetters
  • PDF

Related Articles

Cited By...

More in this TOC Section

  • Role of residues S426 and S430 in cannabinoid tolerance
  • DAT ligands on Cocaine-Food Choice in Monkeys
  • MDPV high-responders to evaluate candidate medications
Show more Behavioral Pharmacology

Similar Articles

Advertisement
  • Home
  • Alerts
Facebook   Twitter   LinkedIn   RSS

Navigate

  • Current Issue
  • Fast Forward by date
  • Fast Forward by section
  • Latest Articles
  • Archive
  • Search for Articles
  • Feedback
  • ASPET

More Information

  • About JPET
  • Editorial Board
  • Instructions to Authors
  • Submit a Manuscript
  • Customized Alerts
  • RSS Feeds
  • Subscriptions
  • Permissions
  • Terms & Conditions of Use

ASPET's Other Journals

  • Drug Metabolism and Disposition
  • Molecular Pharmacology
  • Pharmacological Reviews
  • Pharmacology Research & Perspectives
ISSN 1521-0103 (Online)

Copyright © 2023 by the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics