DREADD Ligands & Chemogenetic Actuators
★ Popular Ligands ★ Why Hello Bio ★ Choosing a Ligand ★ Technical Overview ★ Stability & Handling ★ Learn & Explore | Browse All Chemogenetics
GPCRs can be modified so that they only respond to a specific biologically inert chemical (a designer drug). These modified GPCRs are called Designer Receptors Exclusively Activated by Designer Drugs (DREADDs). Cells expressing the DREADD respond robustly to low concentrations of the designer molecule, whereas cells that do not express DREADD are unresponsive. DREADDs are functionally similar to their wild type receptors, making them powerful tools for studying GPCR signaling and controlling neuronal activity in vivo and in vitro.
Explore high-quality, affordable DREADD ligands for precise chemogenetic control of neuronal signalling in vivo and in vitro. Hello Bio offers water-soluble, first-to-market and exclusive DREADD actuators supported by practical stability and handling guidance to help ensure reliable, reproducible results.
Browse all chemogenetics View the full range of DREADDs ligands →
Popular DREADD Ligands
Quick access to widely used DREADD actuators and DREADD ligand product specifications. These products are trusted by researchers worldwide and include water-soluble, first-to-market, and exclusive ligands.
Why Hello Bio for DREADDs?
Hello Bio is a trusted global supplier of DREADD ligands and chemogenetic actuators, supporting researchers with high-quality reagents, practical technical guidance and accessible pricing designed for real research budgets.
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First-to-market & exclusive ligands
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Stability & handling expertise
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Trusted by leading labs
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High quality, affordable pricing
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Try before you buy
Free Trial Programme
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Cited in Peer-Reviewed Publications
Hello Bio DREADD ligands are used in peer-reviewed research, including high-impact journals. Selected examples below:
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Nature
A dual-pathway architecture for stress to disrupt agency and promote habit |
Nature
Mimicking opioid analgesia in cortical pain circuits |
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Psychopharmacology
Clozapine N-oxide, compound 21, and JHU37160 do not influence effortful reward-seeking behavior in mice |
Journal of Neuroscience
Retrieval of an Ethanol-Conditioned Taste Aversion Promotes GABAergic Plasticity in the Anterior Insular Cortex |
Choosing a DREADD Ligand
There is a growing number of ligands that can activate DREADDs. Selection depends on your receptor system, route of administration, and experimental controls (including considerations around BBB penetration and metabolic conversion for certain ligands).
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If you need a widely used, legacy reference ligand |
If you want a next-generation ligand increasingly adopted in vivo |
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If you want an alternative to CNO without back-metabolism to clozapine |
If you need peripheral restriction (avoid CNS interference) |
Technical Overview of Key DREADD Ligands
Mechanistic details, practical considerations, and guidance to help select the most appropriate DREADD ligand for your experimental design.
★ CNO ★ CLZ & controls ★ Compound 21 ★ DCZ ★ Perlapine ★ Salvinorin B ★ HCAD / FCH-2296413 ★ JHU ligands
Clozapine N-oxide (CNO)
Prototypical · Extensive literature
- Activates excitatory Gq-coupled DREADDs (hM3Dq, hM1Dq, hM5Dq) and inhibitory Gi-coupled DREADDs (hM4Di, hM2Di).
- Reported pEC50 values: 7.26–8.61 (hM3Dq/hM1Dq); 6.89 (hM4Di).
- Also reported to activate GsD and β-arrestin-preferring rM3Darr (Rq(R165L)).
Hello Bio offers water-soluble CNO dihydrochloride for straightforward preparation, and CNO freebase (also water-soluble but more challenging to handle).
Best for: established chemogenetic workflows and continuity with published literature.
Clozapine (CLZ) and experimental controls
Experimental controls · Metabolic considerations
- Systemically administered CNO may have limited BBB penetration and can convert to clozapine (CLZ) in vivo.
- CLZ itself activates hM3Dq and hM4Di DREADDs with high affinity and potency.
- Subthreshold CLZ dosing can induce preferential DREADD-mediated effects.
Water-soluble CLZ dihydrochloride is available to support controlled experimental design.
DREADD Agonist 21 (Compound 21)
Alternative to CNO · No back-metabolism
- Potent and selective agonist at hM3Dq, hM1Dq and hM4Di.
- Reported pEC50 values: 8.48 (hM3Dq), 8.91 (hM1Dq), 7.77 (hM4Di).
- Excellent bioavailability and brain penetrability; does not convert to CLZ.
Available as a non-water soluble form and a water-soluble dihydrochloride salt from Hello Bio.
Best for: in vivo studies where CNO → CLZ conversion is a concern.
Deschloroclozapine (DCZ)
Next-generation · Fast-acting · High potency
- Potent, metabolically stable DREADD actuator described by Nagai et al.
- Active at hM3Dq and hM4Di with rapid onset in vivo.
Available from Hello Bio as DCZ dihydrochloride (water-soluble) and DCZ.
Best for: next-generation in vivo chemogenetic studies.
JHU 37160 dihyrochloride (water-soluble)
Novel potent chemogenetic actuator · In vivo activity
- Shows high potency and affinity for hM3Dq and hM4Di.
- Active in vivo and suited to advanced chemogenetic applications.
Availble from Hello Bio as JHU37160 dihydrochloride (water-soluble) and JHU37160.
Salvinorin B (KORD activator)
κ-opioid DREADD · Inhibitory chemogenetics
- Selective activator of κ-opioid DREADD (KORD) with EC50 ≈ 11.8 nM.
- Induces neuronal hyperpolarization in KORD-expressing models.
- No reported ataxic or analgesic effects in wild-type mice.
View Salvinorin B product details
Peripherally restricted DREADDs (HCAD system)
Peripheral physiology · No CNS interference
- HCAD DREADD activated by FCH-2296413.
- Does not cross the BBB, enabling selective peripheral chemogenetic studies.
Availble from Hello Bio as FCH-2296413 water-soluble sodium salt and FCH-2296413
Stability & Handling Guidance (Practical Lab Support)
For researchers using DREADD ligands in vivo and in vitro, solution preparation and stability can be critical to reproducibility. Hello Bio provides practical stability-in-solution and handling guidance to help you prepare solutions reliably and plan appropriate controls.
- Stability of Water-Soluble DREADD Ligands in Solution: A Technical Review
- Clozapine N-oxide (CNO): stability, solubility and practical lab use
Trusted by DREADD Researchers Worldwide
Researchers rely on Hello Bio for consistent performance, easy-to-use water-soluble formats, and clear experimental guidance.
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★★★★★
“Dissolves easily and works well… robust and consistent upon administration… perfect for injections or water-bottle administration in our DREADD models.” Researcher, University of Michigan, USA (CNO water-soluble) |
★★★★★
“We used this water soluble DCZ for chemogenetic experiments… it did what it should do… easy to dissolve… good price given the potency.” Researcher, University of Sydney, Australia (DCZ) |
Read more scientist reviews Explore publications citing Hello Bio reagents →
Related Chemogenetics Research Reagents
Learn & Explore
Practical resources from our PhD-qualified technical team to support experimental planning and reagent selection:
★ DREADDs & chemogenetics overview
Background and ligand overview for chemogenetic approaches in neuroscience.
★ Mini-Reviews & Research Guides
Short, accessible introductions to key targets and practical experimental guidance.