JWH-176

JWH-176 is an analgesic drug which acts as a cannabinoid receptor agonist. Its binding affinity at the CB₁ receptor is 26.0 nM, making it more potent than THC itself, however JWH-176 is particularly notable in that it is a hydrocarbon containing no heteroatoms. This demonstrates that reasonably high-affinity cannabinoid binding and agonist effects can be produced by compounds with no hydrogen bonding capacity at all, relying merely on Van [der Waals force|Van der Waals] and possibly hydrophobic interactions to bind to the receptor. It was discovered by, and named after, John W. Huffman.

Stereochemistry

JWH-176 is the -stereoisomer of 1-naphthalene, whereas JWH-171 is the mixture of the - and -isomers.

In the United States, CB₁ receptor agonists of the 1-indene class such as JWH-176 and JWH-171 are Schedule I Controlled Substances.
As of 23 December 2009, any compound structurally derived from 1–indene by substitution at the 3–position of the indene ring by an alkyl group is a Class B drug in the United Kingdom.