Anandamide, THC, and the CB receptors.

[Isochrist]

I've just finished reading a few of the threads on the action of drugs on receptors, but one thing stuck out in my mind while reading.

It was said (I don't recall by who) that in order for a chemical to bind to a receptor it has to have the general structure of what would normally bind there, for example DMT binds with the 5-HT receptors because it's very similar in structure to serotonin.

The first thing that popped in my head while reading that, as the title of this thread says, is that anandamide and THC both bind to the THC receptor sites, yet look totally different.

How does this happen? Is it due to similar charges in the molecules? Does anandamide perhaps contort itself to resemble THC somehow?

Reputation Comments on this post:

Interesting questions, thanks for asking.

[Isochrist]

Anyone at all?

I tried UTFSE and didn't come up with much unfortunately.

[Bildo]

It's active sites you have to look out for and how they are presented. once the active site of a molecule binds to the receptor it undergoes a conformational change to bind securly to the rest of the active site. It's not the shape of the molecule you have to look at, its the position of the binding points within the receptor site and the shape the molecule takes to accomodate these.

Reputation Comments on this post:

Good info, thanks for sharing.

[Isochrist]

Originally Posted by Bildo

It's not the shape of the molecule you have to look at, its the position of the binding points within the receptor site and the shape the molecule takes to accomodate these.

Are the binding points determined through the different charges in the molecule?

SWIM has recently become interested in the chemistry / pharmacology of psychoactive substances, and there's so much out there to grasp.

thanx much for the reply, if SWIY cares to elaborate, please do.

[Bildo]

Binding points are functional groups on the molecule which will have a certain charge yes. But these functional groups are caused usually by the breakdown of the original drug molecule, e.g. the breakdown of a benzine ring in amphetamines. Once the drug has bound to the active site of the synapse it affects the rate at which that synapse functions.