Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol-like discriminative stimulus effects of compounds commonly found in K2/Spice.
Michael B. Gatch, Michael J Forster
Behavioural Pharmacology December 2014 DOI: 10.1097/fbp.0000000000000093 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Animal behavioral pharmacology experiments (drug discrimination and locomotor activity) Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Mice (locomotor activity) and rats trained to discriminate Δ-THC (drug discrimination) |
| Interventions | JWH-018 JWH-073 JWH-200 JWH-203 JWH-250 AM-2201 CP 47 497-C8-homolog |
| Dose | 3 mg/kg Δ-THC (training dose, intraperitoneally) |
| Topics | Cannabis |
| Key findings | All seven synthetic cannabinoids fully substituted for Δ-THC's discriminative stimulus effects and decreased locomotor activity, suggesting they share marijuana's psychoactive effects relevant to abuse liability. JWH-073, JWH-250, and CP 47,497-C8-homolog had substantially longer effects than Δ-THC; the authors suggest CP 47,497-C8-homolog's long duration and adverse effects may increase hazards in humans. |
Abstract
A number of cannabinoid compounds are being sold in the form of incense as 'legal' alternatives to marijuana. The purpose of these experiments was to determine whether the most common of these compounds have discriminative stimulus effects similar to Δ-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ-THC), the main active component in marijuana. Locomotor depressant effects of JWH-018, JWH-073, JWH-200, JWH-203, JWH-250, AM-2201, and CP 47,497-C8-homolog were tested in mice. The compounds were then tested for substitution in rats trained to discriminate Δ-THC (3 mg/kg, intraperitoneally). The time course of the peak dose of each compound was also tested. Each of the synthetic cannabinoids dose-dependently decreased locomotor activity for 1-2 h. Each of the compounds fully substituted for the discriminative stimulus effects of Δ-THC, mostly at doses that produced only marginal amounts of rate suppression. JWH-250 and CP 47,497-C8-homolog suppressed response rates at doses that fully substituted for Δ-THC. The time courses varied markedly between compounds. Most of the compounds had a shorter onset than Δ-THC, and the effects of three of the compounds lasted substantially longer (JWH-073, JWH-250, and CP 47,497-C8-homolog). Several of the most commonly used synthetic cannabinoids produce behavioral effects comparable with those of Δ-THC, which suggests that these compounds may share the psychoactive effects of marijuana responsible for abuse liability. The extremely long time course of the discriminative stimulus effects and adverse effects of CP 47,497-C8-homolog suggest that CP 47,497-C8-homolog may be associated with increased hazards among humans.
Comparable studies
Other preclinical and animal studies on cannabis, most cited first.
Citations in the library
Cited by 14
- Neuropharmacology of New Psychoactive Substances (NPS): Focus on the Rewarding and Reinforcing Properties of Cannabimimetics and Amphetamine-Like Stimulants Frontiers in Neuroscience April 19, 2016
- Sex and Gender Differences in the Effects of Novel Psychoactive Substances. Brain Sciences September 3, 2020
- Repeated Exposure to the “Spice” Cannabinoid JWH-018 Induces Tolerance and Enhances Responsiveness to 5-HT1A Receptor Stimulation in Male Rats Frontiers in Psychiatry February 27, 2018
- Locomotor and discriminative stimulus effects of NBOH hallucinogens in rodents. Behavioural Pharmacology December 6, 2024
- Different development patterns of reward behaviors induced by ketamine and JWH-018 in striatal GAD67 knockdown mice. Journal of veterinary science September 1, 2024
and 9 more in the library
Cites 10
- Beyond THC: The New Generation of Cannabinoid Designer Drugs Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience 2011
- Abuse Liability Profile of Three Substituted Tryptamines Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics April 8, 2011
- Cross-substitution of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol and JWH-018 in drug discrimination in rats. Pharmacology, Biochemistry, and Behavior September 2014
- Δ9-THC exposure attenuates aversive effects and reveals appetitive effects of K2/'Spice' constituent JWH-018 in mice. Behavioural Pharmacology June 2014
- Differential drug-drug interactions of the synthetic Cannabinoids JWH-018 and JWH-073: implications for drug abuse liability and pain therapy. Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics September 2013
and 5 more in the library