Journal:Chemometric analysis of cannabinoids: Chemotaxonomy and domestication syndrome
| Full article title | Chemometric analysis of cannabinoids: Chemotaxonomy and domestication syndrome |
|---|---|
| Journal | Scientific Reports |
| Author(s) | Mudge, E.M.; Murch, S.J.; Brown, P.N. |
| Author affiliation(s) | University of British Columbia, British Columbia Institute of Technology |
| Primary contact | Email: Send message through journal website |
| Year published | 2018 |
| Volume and issue | 8 |
| Page(s) | 13090 |
| DOI | 10.1038/s41598-018-31120-2 |
| ISSN | 2045-2322 |
| Distribution license | Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International |
| Website | https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-31120-2 |
| Download | https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-31120-2.pdf (PDF) |
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Abstract
Cannabis is an interesting domesticated crop with a long history of cultivation and use. Strains have been selected through informal breeding programs with undisclosed parentage and criteria. The term “strain” refers to minor morphological differences and grower branding rather than distinct cultivated varieties. We hypothesized that strains sold by different licensed producers are chemotaxonomically indistinguishable and that the commercial practice of identifying strains by the ratio of total tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) is insufficient to account for the reported human health outcomes. We used targeted metabolomics to analyze 11 known cannabinoids and an untargeted metabolomics approach to identify 21 unknown cannabinoids. Five clusters of chemotaxonomically indistinguishable strains were identified from the 33 commercial products. Only three of the clusters produce cannabidiolic acid (CBDA) in significant quantities, while the other two clusters redirect metabolic resources toward the tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA) production pathways. Six unknown metabolites were unique to CBD-rich strains and/or correlated to CBDA, and three unknowns were found only in THC-rich strains. Together, these data indicate the domestication of the Cannabis germplasm has resulted in a loss of the CBDA pathway in some strains and reallocation of resources between CBDA and THCA pathways in others. The impact of domestication is a lack of chemical diversity and loss of biodiversity in modern Cannabis strains.
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Notes
This presentation is faithful to the original, with only a few minor changes to presentation. Some grammar and punctuation was cleaned up to improve readability. In some cases important information was missing from the references, and that information was added.
