Retrospective Chart Review of Synthetic Cannabinoid Intoxication with Toxicologic Analysis

Pharmacological and Behavioral Effects of the Synthetic Cannabinoid AKB48 in Rats

AKB48 is a designer drug belonging to the indazole synthetic cannabinoids class, illegally sold as herbal blend, incense, or research chemicals for their psychoactive cannabis-like effects. In the present study, we investigated the in vivo pharmacological and behavioral effects of AKB48 in male rats and measured the pharmacodynamic effects of AKB48 and simultaneously determined its plasma pharmacokinetic. AKB48 at low doses preferentially stimulated dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens shell (0.25 mg/kg) and impaired visual sensorimotor responses (0.3 mg/kg) without affecting acoustic and tactile reflexes, which are reduced only to the highest dose tested (3 mg/kg). Increasing doses (0.5 mg/kg) of AKB48 impaired place preference and induced hypolocomotion in rats. At the highest dose (3 mg/kg), AKB48 induced hypothermia, analgesia, and catalepsy; inhibited the startle/pre-pulse inhibition test; and caused cardiorespiratory changes characterized by bradycardia and mild bradipnea and SpO2 reduction. All behavioral and neurochemical effects were fully prevented by the selective CB₁ receptor antagonist/inverse agonist AM251. AKB48 plasma concentrations rose linearly with increasing dose and were correlated with changes in the somatosensory, hypothermic, analgesic, and cataleptic responses in rats. For the first time, this study shows the pharmacological and behavioral effects of AKB48 in rats, correlating them to the plasma levels of the synthetic cannabinoid.

Chemical Compound Studied in This Article: AKB48 (PubChem CID: 57404063); AM251 (PubChem CID: 2125).

The changing pattern of synthetic cannabinoid use within England, April 2014 to March 2018

Introduction

Synthetic cannabinoids (SC), designed to mimic delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, the natural component of cannabis, have seen a rapid increase in popularity since 2008. Nearly 200 SC have been detected to date. However, there are limited data available reporting the changing trend in their use. Here, we report the temporal changes in SC use, as well as the demographic profile of users.

Method

In this retrospective study, case background and toxicology findings were collected from forensic toxicology reports dated between 1 April 2014 and 31 March 2018 that included a positive result for the presence of one or more SC and/or metabolites.

Results

A total of 113 cases were positive for SC; 103 (91.2%) of the individuals were male, with a median age of 40 years (range 15–80 years). Over the four-year time period, a total of 12 different SC were detected; seven of these SC were detected in more than six cases each. The most commonly detected SC had a lifetime of one to two years before being replaced. Discussion and conclusion: Our data show that SC were being used for approximately one to two years before they were superseded by newer structures. It is therefore extremely difficult to predict future patterns of SC use and is consequently not advisable to offer limited screening.