Two Janus Cannabinoids That Are Both CB2 Agonists and CB1 Antagonists

The cannabinoid signaling system includes two G protein-coupled receptors, CB1 and CB2. These receptors are widely distributed throughout the body and have each been implicated in many physiologically important processes. Although the cannabinoid signaling system has therapeutic potential, the development of receptor-selective ligands remains a persistent hurdle. Because CB1 and CB2 are involved in diverse processes, it would be advantageous to develop ligands that differentially engage CB1 and CB2. We now report that GW405833 [1-(2,3-dichlorobenzoyl)-5-methoxy-2-methyl-3-[2-(4-morpholinyl) ethyl]-1H-indole] and AM1710 [1hydroxy-9-methoxy-3-(2-methyloctan-2-yl) benzo[c] chromen-6-one], described as selective CB2 agonists, can antagonize CB1 receptor signaling. In autaptic hippocampal neurons, GW405833 and AM1710 both interfered with CB1-mediated depolarization-induced suppression of excitation, with GW405833 being more potent. In addition, in CB1-expressing human embryonic kidney 293 cells, GW405833 noncompetitively antagonized adenylyl cyclase activity, extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 phosphorylation, phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate signaling, and CB1 internalization by CP55940 (2-[(1R, 2R, 5R)-5-hydroxy-2-(3-hydroxypropyl) cyclohexyl]-5-(2-methyloctan-2-yl) phenol). In contrast, AM1710 behaved as a lowpotency competitive antagonist/inverse agonist in these signaling pathways. GW405833 interactions with CB1/arrestin signaling were complex: GW405833 differentially modulated arrestin recruitment in a time-dependent fashion, with an initial modest potentiation at 20 minutes followed by antagonism starting at 1 hour. AM1710 acted as a low-efficacy agonist in arrestin signaling at the CB1 receptor, with no evident time dependence. In summary, we determined that GW405833 and AM1710 are not only CB2 agonists but also CB1 antagonists, with distinctive and complex signaling properties. Thus, experiments using these compounds must take into account their potential activity at CB1 receptors.