Journal:The impact of extraction protocol on the chemical profile of cannabis extracts from a single cultivar
| Full article title | The impact of extraction protocol on the chemical profile of cannabis extracts from a single cultivar |
|---|---|
| Journal | Scientific Reports |
| Author(s) | Bowen, Janina K.; Chaparro, Jacqueline M.; McCorkle, Alexander M.; Palumbo, Edward; Prenni, Jessica E. |
| Author affiliation(s) | Colorado State University, Charlotte’s Web Inc. |
| Primary contact | jprenni at colostate dot edu |
| Year published | 2021 |
| Volume and issue | 11 |
| Article # | 21801 |
| DOI | 10.1038/s41598-021-01378-0 |
| ISSN | 2045-2322 |
| Distribution license | Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International |
| Website | https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-01378-0 |
| Download | https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-01378-0.pdf (PDF) |
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This article should be considered a work in progress and incomplete. Consider this article incomplete until this notice is removed. |
Abstract
The last two decades have seen a dramatic shift in cannabis legislation around the world. Cannabis products are now widely available, and commercial production and use of phytocannabinoid products is rapidly growing. However, this growth is outpacing the research needed to elucidate the therapeutic efficacy of the myriad of chemical compounds found primarily in the flower of the female Cannabis plant. This lack of research and corresponding regulation has resulted in processing methods, products, and terminology that are variable and confusing for consumers. Importantly, the impact of processing methods on the resulting chemical profile of full spectrum cannabis extracts is not well understood. As a first step in addressing this knowledge gap, we have utilized a combination of analytical approaches to characterize the broad chemical composition of a single cannabis cultivar that was processed using previously optimized and commonly used commercial extraction protocols, including alcoholic solvents and supercritical carbon dioxide. Significant variation in the bioactive chemical profile was observed in the extracts resulting from the different protocols, demonstrating the need for further research regarding the influence of processing on therapeutic efficacy, as well as the importance of labeling in the marketing of multi-component cannabis products.
Keywords: Cannabis, processing methods, extract, cultivar, chemical analysis
Introduction
Cannabis sativa L. is a pharmacologically important annual plant that produces bioactive phytocannabinoids and other secondary metabolites that have demonstrated therapeutic potential for a wide variety of human health conditions. (1,2,3,4,5) Cannabis sativa L. can be broadly divided into three categories based on genomic diversity and chemical composition. (6) Specifically, based on the analysis of 340 cannabis varieties—including grain hemp, fiber hemp, CBD hemp, marijuana, and feral populations—the distinct groups were described as:
- fiber/grain hemp with low cannabinoid content;
- cannabis with narrow leaflets (colloquially described as sativa) and high cannabinoid content (i.e., CBD hemp and marijuana); and
- cannabis with broad leaflets (colloquially described as indica) and high cannabinoid content (i.e., CBD hemp and marijuana).
Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) are the most extensively studied Cannabis sativa L.-derived phytocannabinoids and are the only compounds currently available by prescription in the United States.(7) In addition to these two major neutral phytocannabinoids, acidic versions such as tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA), cannabidiolic acid (CBDA), cannabigerolic acid (CBGA), and cannabichromenic acid (CBCA); minor versions such as cannabigerol (CBG), cannabinol (CBN), and cannabichromene (CBC) ; and varinic versions such as tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV), cannabidivarin (CBDV), and cannabigerovarin (CBGV) have also exhibited promising in vitro and in vivo results for treatment of various human health conditions. (4) For example, as reviewed by Franco et al. (4), there is preliminary evidence that these understudied bioactive compounds have anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, anti-proliferative, anti-convulsive, and neuroprotective properties. Furthermore, these minor phytocannabinoids are emerging as potential treatment strategies for anxiety, nausea, diabetes, acne, metabolic syndrome, obesity, pain, colorectal cancer, breast cancer, and more. Finally, in addition to phytocannabinoid compounds, there are a multitude of other bioactive compounds found in cannabis, including terpenes and terpenoids (8,9,10,11,12), flavonoids (13,14), bibenzyl (15), stilbenoids (16,17), and hydroxycinnamic acids. (18,19)
References
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.
