Abuse of synthetic cannabinoids (SCs), such as [1-naphthalenyl-(1-pentyl-1H-indol-3-yl]-methanone (JWH-018) and [1-(5-fluoropentyl)-1H-indol-3-yl]-1-naphthalenyl-methanone (AM2201), is increasing at an alarming rate. Although very little is known about the metabolism and toxicology of these popular designer drugs, mass spectrometric analysis of human urine specimens after JWH-018 and AM2201 exposure identified monohydroxylated and carboxylated derivatives as major metabolites. The present study extends these initial findings by testing the hypothesis that JWH-018 and its fluorinated counterpart AM2201 are subject to cytochrome P450 (P450)-mediated oxidation, forming potent hydroxylated metabolites that retain significant affinity and activity at the cannabinoid 1 (CB 1 ) receptor. Kinetic analysis using human liver microsomes and recombinant human protein identified CYP2C9 and CYP1A2 as major P450s involved in the oxidation of the JWH-