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Ibrahim EA, Radwan MM, Gul W, Majumdar CG, Hadad GM, Abdel Salam RA, Ibrahim AK, Ahmed SA, Chandra S, Lata H, ElSohly MA, Wanas AS. Quantitative Determination of Cannabis Terpenes Using Gas Chromatography-Flame Ionization Detector. Cannabis Cannabinoid Res 2023; 8:899-910. [PMID: 36322895 PMCID: PMC10589468 DOI: 10.1089/can.2022.0188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: Cannabis has a long history of being credited with centuries of healing powers for millennia. The cannabis plant is a rich source of cannabinoids and terpenes. Each cannabis chemovar exhibits a different flavor and aroma, which are determined by its terpene content. Methods: In this study, a gas chromatography-flame ionization detector method was developed and validated for the determination of the 10 major terpenes in the main three chemovars of Cannabis sativa L. with n-tridecane used as the internal standard following the standard addition method. The 10 major terpenes (monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes) are α-pinene, β-pinene, β-myrcene, limonene, terpinolene, linalool, α-terpineol, β-caryophyllene, α-humulene, and caryophyllene oxide. The method was validated according to Association of Official Analytical Chemists guidelines. Spike recovery studies for all terpenes were carried out on placebo cannabis material and indoor-growing high THC chemovar with authentic standards. Results: The method was linear over the calibration range of 1-100 μg/mL with r2>0.99 for all terpenes. The limit of detection and limit of quantification were calculated to be 0.3 and 1.0 μg/mL, respectively, for all terpenes. The accuracy (%recovery) at all levels ranged from 89% to 104% and 90% to 111% for placebo and indoor-growing high THC chemovar, respectively. The repeatability and intermediate precision of the method were evaluated by the quantification of target terpenes in the three different C. sativa chemovars, resulting in acceptable relative standard deviations (less than 10%). Conclusions: The developed method is simple, sensitive, reproducible, and suitable for the detection and quantification of monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes in C. sativa biomass.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elsayed A. Ibrahim
- National Center for Natural Products Research, School of Pharmacy, University of Mississippi, University, Mississippi, USA
- Department of Pharmaceutical Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Suez Canal University, Ismailia, Egypt
| | - Mohamed M. Radwan
- National Center for Natural Products Research, School of Pharmacy, University of Mississippi, University, Mississippi, USA
| | - Waseem Gul
- ElSohly Laboratories, Inc., Oxford, Mississippi, USA
| | - Chandrani G. Majumdar
- National Center for Natural Products Research, School of Pharmacy, University of Mississippi, University, Mississippi, USA
| | - Ghada M. Hadad
- Department of Pharmaceutical Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Suez Canal University, Ismailia, Egypt
| | - Randa A. Abdel Salam
- Department of Pharmaceutical Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Suez Canal University, Ismailia, Egypt
| | - Amany K. Ibrahim
- Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Suez Canal University, Ismailia, Egypt
| | - Safwat A. Ahmed
- Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Suez Canal University, Ismailia, Egypt
| | - Suman Chandra
- National Center for Natural Products Research, School of Pharmacy, University of Mississippi, University, Mississippi, USA
| | - Hemant Lata
- National Center for Natural Products Research, School of Pharmacy, University of Mississippi, University, Mississippi, USA
| | - Mahmoud A. ElSohly
- National Center for Natural Products Research, School of Pharmacy, University of Mississippi, University, Mississippi, USA
- ElSohly Laboratories, Inc., Oxford, Mississippi, USA
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Drug Delivery, School of Pharmacy, The University of Mississippi, University, Mississippi, USA
| | - Amira S. Wanas
- National Center for Natural Products Research, School of Pharmacy, University of Mississippi, University, Mississippi, USA
- Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Minia University, Minia, Egypt
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Direct Quantitation of Phytocannabinoids by One-Dimensional 1H qNMR and Two-Dimensional 1H- 1H COSY qNMR in Complex Natural Mixtures. MOLECULES (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 27:molecules27092965. [PMID: 35566314 PMCID: PMC9103933 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27092965] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2022] [Revised: 04/30/2022] [Accepted: 05/03/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
The widespread use of phytocannabinoids or cannabis extracts as ingredients in numerous types of products, in combination with the legal restrictions on THC content, has created a need for the development of new, rapid, and universal analytical methods for their quantitation that ideally could be applied without separation and standards. Based on previously described qNMR studies, we developed an expanded 1H qNMR method and a novel 2D-COSY qNMR method for the rapid quantitation of ten major phytocannabinoids in cannabis plant extracts and cannabis-based products. The 1H qNMR method was successfully developed for the quantitation of cannabidiol (CBD), cannabidiolic acid (CBDA), cannabinol (CBN), cannabichromene (CBC), cannabichromenic acid (CBCA), cannabigerol (CBG), cannabigerolic acid (CBGA), Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC), Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (Δ9-THCA), Δ8-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ8-THC), cannabielsoin (CBE), and cannabidivarin (CBDV). Moreover, cannabidivarinic acid (CBDVA) and Δ9-tetrahydrocannabivarinic acid (Δ9-THCVA) can be distinguished from CBDA and Δ9-THCA respectively, while cannabigerovarin (CBGV) and Δ8-tetrahydrocannabivarin (Δ8-THCV) present the same 1H-spectra as CBG and Δ8-THC, respectively. The COSY qNMR method was applied for the quantitation of CBD, CBDA, CBN, CBG/CBGA, and THC/THCA. The two methods were applied for the analysis of hemp plants; cannabis extracts; edible cannabis medium-chain triglycerides (MCT); and hemp seed oils and cosmetic products with cannabinoids. The 1H-NMR method does not require the use of reference compounds, and it requires only a short time for analysis. However, complex extracts in 1H-NMR may have a lot of signals, and quantitation with this method is often hampered by peak overlap, with 2D NMR providing a solution to this obstacle. The most important advantage of the COSY NMR quantitation method was the determination of the legality of cannabis plants, extracts, and edible oils based on their THC/THCA content, particularly in the cases of some samples for which the determination of THC/THCA content by 1H qNMR was not feasible.
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Tahir MN, Shahbazi F, Rondeau-Gagné S, Trant JF. The biosynthesis of the cannabinoids. J Cannabis Res 2021; 3:7. [PMID: 33722296 PMCID: PMC7962319 DOI: 10.1186/s42238-021-00062-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2020] [Accepted: 02/17/2021] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Cannabis has been integral to Eurasian civilization for millennia, but a century of prohibition has limited investigation. With spreading legalization, science is pivoting to study the pharmacopeia of the cannabinoids, and a thorough understanding of their biosynthesis is required to engineer strains with specific cannabinoid profiles. This review surveys the biosynthesis and biochemistry of cannabinoids. The pathways and the enzymes' mechanisms of action are discussed as is the non-enzymatic decarboxylation of the cannabinoic acids. There are still many gaps in our knowledge about the biosynthesis of the cannabinoids, especially for the minor components, and this review highlights the tools and approaches that will be applied to generate an improved understanding and consequent access to these potentially biomedically-relevant materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Nazir Tahir
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Windsor, 401 Sunset Avenue, Windsor, Ontario, N9B 3P4, Canada
| | - Fred Shahbazi
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Windsor, 401 Sunset Avenue, Windsor, Ontario, N9B 3P4, Canada
| | - Simon Rondeau-Gagné
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Windsor, 401 Sunset Avenue, Windsor, Ontario, N9B 3P4, Canada.
| | - John F Trant
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Windsor, 401 Sunset Avenue, Windsor, Ontario, N9B 3P4, Canada.
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Cannabis Sativa L.: a comprehensive review on the analytical methodologies for cannabinoids and terpenes characterization. J Chromatogr A 2020; 1637:461864. [PMID: 33422797 DOI: 10.1016/j.chroma.2020.461864] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2020] [Revised: 12/23/2020] [Accepted: 12/25/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
The global Cannabis Sativa market, including essential oils, foods, personal-care products, and medical formulations has gained much attention over the last years due to the favorable regulatory framework. Undoubtedly, the enormous interest about cannabis cultivation mainly derives from the well-known pharmacological properties of cannabinoids and terpenes biosynthesized by the plants. In this review, the most recently used analytical methodologies for detecting both cannabinoids and terpenes are described. Well-established and innovative extraction protocols, and chromatographic separations, such as GC and HPLC, are reviewed highlighting their respective advantages and drawbacks. Lastly, GC × GC techniques are also reported for accurate identification and quantification of terpenes in complex cannabis matrices.
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Shapira A, Berman P, Futoran K, Guberman O, Meiri D. Tandem Mass Spectrometric Quantification of 93 Terpenoids in Cannabis Using Static Headspace Injections. Anal Chem 2019; 91:11425-11432. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.9b02844] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Anna Shapira
- The Laboratory of Cancer Biology and Cannabinoid Research, Department of Biology, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 320003, Israel
| | - Paula Berman
- The Laboratory of Cancer Biology and Cannabinoid Research, Department of Biology, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 320003, Israel
| | - Kate Futoran
- The Laboratory of Cancer Biology and Cannabinoid Research, Department of Biology, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 320003, Israel
| | - Ohad Guberman
- The Laboratory of Cancer Biology and Cannabinoid Research, Department of Biology, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 320003, Israel
| | - David Meiri
- The Laboratory of Cancer Biology and Cannabinoid Research, Department of Biology, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 320003, Israel
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¹H NMR and HPLC/DAD for Cannabis sativa L. chemotype distinction, extract profiling and specification. Talanta 2015; 140:150-165. [PMID: 26048837 DOI: 10.1016/j.talanta.2015.02.040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2014] [Revised: 02/12/2015] [Accepted: 02/23/2015] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The medicinal use of different chemovars and extracts of Cannabis sativa L. requires standardization beyond ∆9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) with complementing methods. We investigated the suitability of (1)H NMR key signals for distinction of four chemotypes measured in deuterated dimethylsulfoxide together with two new validated HPLC/DAD methods used for identification and extract profiling based on the main pattern of cannabinoids and other phenolics alongside the assayed content of THC, cannabidiol (CBD), cannabigerol (CBG) their acidic counterparts (THCA, CBDA, CBGA), cannabinol (CBN) and cannflavin A and B. Effects on cell viability (MTT assay, HeLa) were tested. The dominant cannabinoid pairs allowed chemotype recognition via assignment of selective proton signals and via HPLC even in cannabinoid-low extracts from the THC, CBD and CBG type. Substantial concentrations of cannabinoid acids in non-heated extracts suggest their consideration for total values in chemotype distinction and specifications of herbal drugs and extracts. Cannflavin A/B are extracted and detected together with cannabinoids but always subordinated, while other phenolics can be accumulated via fractionation and detected in a wide fingerprint but may equally serve as qualitative marker only. Cell viability reduction in HeLa was more determined by the total cannabinoid content than by the specific cannabinoid profile. Therefore the analysis and labeling of total cannabinoids together with the content of THC and 2-4 lead cannabinoids are considered essential. The suitability of analytical methods and the range of compound groups summarized in group and ratio markers are discussed regarding plant classification and pharmaceutical specification.
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Hazekamp A, Choi YH, Verpoorte R. Quantitative Analysis of Cannabinoids from Cannabis sativa Using 1H-NMR. Chem Pharm Bull (Tokyo) 2004; 52:718-21. [PMID: 15187394 DOI: 10.1248/cpb.52.718] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
A (1)H-NMR method has been developed for the quantitative analysis of pure cannabinoids and for cannabinoids present in Cannabis sativa plant material without any chromatographic purification. The experiment was performed by the analysis of singlets in the range of delta 4.0-7.0 in the (1)H-NMR spectrum, in which distinguishable signals of each cannabinoid are shown. Quantitation was performed by calculating the relative ratio of the peak area of selected proton signals of the target compounds to the known amount of the internal standard, anthracene. For this method no reference compounds are needed. It allows rapid and simple quantitation of cannabinoids with a final analysis time of only 5 min without the need for a pre-purification step.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arno Hazekamp
- Division of Pharmacognosy, Institute of Biology, Leiden University, Einsteinweb 55, 2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands.
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