Citation

Docampo-Palacios ML, Ramirez GA, Tesfatsion TT, Okhovat A, Pittiglio M, Ray KP, Cruces W. Molecules 2023; 28(17): e6434.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2023, MDPI: Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute)

DOI

10.3390/molecules28176434

PMID

37687263

Abstract

Natural and non-natural hexahydrocannabinols (HHC) were first described in 1940 by Adam and in late 2021 arose on the drug market in the United States and in some European countries. A background on the discovery, synthesis, and pharmacology studies of hydrogenated and saturated cannabinoids is described. This is harmonized with a summary and comparison of the cannabinoid receptor affinities of various classical, hybrid, and non-classical saturated cannabinoids. A discussion of structure-activity relationships with the four different pharmacophores found in the cannabinoid scaffold is added to this review. According to laboratory studies in vitro, and in several animal species in vivo, HHC is reported to have broadly similar effects to Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC), the main psychoactive substance in cannabis, as demonstrated both in vitro and in several animal species in vivo. However, the effects of HHC treatment have not been studied in humans, and thus a biological profile has not been established.

Language: en

Keywords

cannabinoids; cannabilactones; CB1 receptor; CB2 receptor; GPCR; hexahydrocannabinol; hydrogenation; quinones