Abstract
The synthesis of potent metabolically stable endocannabinoids is challenging. Here we report a chiral arachidonoyl ethanolamide (AEA) analogue, namely, (13S,1′R)-dimethylanandamide (AMG315, 3a), a high affinity ligand for the CB1 receptor (K i of 7.8 ± 1.4 nM) that behaves as a potent CB1 agonist in vitro (EC50 = 0.6 ± 0.2 nM). (13S,1′R)-dimethylanandamide is the first potent AEA analogue with significant stability for all endocannabinoid hydrolyzing enzymes as well as the oxidative enzymes COX-2. When tested in vivo using the CFA-induced inflammatory pain model, 3a behaved as a more potent analgesic when compared to endogenous AEA or its hydrolytically stable analogue AM356. This novel analogue will serve as a very useful endocannabinoid probe.