1
|
Casati S, Rota P, Bergamaschi RF, Palmisano E, La Rocca P, Ravelli A, Angeli I, Minoli M, Roda G, Orioli M. Hexahydrocannabinol on the Light Cannabis Market: The Latest "New" Entry. Cannabis Cannabinoid Res 2024; 9:622-628. [PMID: 36445181 DOI: 10.1089/can.2022.0253] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction: Hexahydrocannabinols (HHCs), referred to as (9R)-HHC and (9S)-HHC diastereoisomers, are poorly studied cannabinoids naturally found in small concentrations in the pollen and the seeds of the hemp plants. Aim: In this study, for the first time, we describe the finding of (9R)-HHC and (9S)-HHC in two commercialized hemp derived products. Methods: The achievement of reference standards by semisynthetic or isolation approach allows us to develop and validate a gas chromatography mass spectrometry method for the identification and quantification of HHCs in hemp-derived resin. Results: The two analyzed samples showed percentage of 42.5 and 41.5 for (9R)-HHC and of 23.6 and 23.6 for (9S)-HHC. Conclusions: Despite the lack of in-depth studies about HHCs activity, potency, toxicity, and safety, these cannabinoids are emerging on the light-cannabis (hemp) market probably because legislations still do not clearly regulate them. Since analytical assay for hemp-derived products usually include only Δ9-THC, THC-A, CBD, and CBD-A, a thorough investigation could be carried out to reveal the possible addition of "new" compounds that might be a matter of safety.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sara Casati
- Laboratorio di Tossicologia Forense, Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche, Chirurgiche ed Odontoiatriche, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milano, Italy
| | - Paola Rota
- Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche, Chirurgiche ed Odontoiatriche, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milano, Italy
| | - Roberta F Bergamaschi
- Laboratorio di Tossicologia Forense, Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche, Chirurgiche ed Odontoiatriche, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milano, Italy
| | - Erika Palmisano
- Laboratorio di Tossicologia Forense, Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche, Chirurgiche ed Odontoiatriche, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milano, Italy
| | - Paolo La Rocca
- Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche per la Salute, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milano, Italy
| | - Alessandro Ravelli
- Laboratorio di Tossicologia Forense, Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche, Chirurgiche ed Odontoiatriche, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milano, Italy
| | - Ilaria Angeli
- Laboratorio di Tossicologia Forense, Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche, Chirurgiche ed Odontoiatriche, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milano, Italy
| | - Mauro Minoli
- Laboratorio di Tossicologia Forense, Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche, Chirurgiche ed Odontoiatriche, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milano, Italy
| | - Gabriella Roda
- Dipartimento di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milano, Italy
| | - Marica Orioli
- Laboratorio di Tossicologia Forense, Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche, Chirurgiche ed Odontoiatriche, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milano, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Giorgetti A, Fais P, Pascali JP, Mohamed S, Rossi F, Garagnani M, Pelletti G. External hair contamination from cannabis and "light cannabis" delivered by smoking and vaping: An in vitro study. Drug Test Anal 2023. [PMID: 38145896 DOI: 10.1002/dta.3627] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2023] [Revised: 11/26/2023] [Accepted: 11/27/2023] [Indexed: 12/27/2023]
Abstract
External contamination of hair by cannabis smoking requires a careful evaluation in forensic toxicology. Medical and recreational cannabis are increasingly consumed by e-cigarettes, which give rise to side-stream vapor. Moreover, products containing low Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC) and rich in cannabidiol (CBD) started spreading legally. The goal of the present study was to assess whether hair analysis could allow to distinguish the type of delivered product, with low or high Δ9-THC, and the delivering mode, by smoking or vaping. Contamination of blank hair was mimicked by in vitro exposure to low- (0.4%) and high-Δ9-THC (9.7%) products delivered by smoking and vaping within a small confined system. Cannabis vaping extracts were prepared to deliver identical target Δ9-THC doses. Eighty samples were analyzed by ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography mass spectrometry and quantified for Δ9-THC and CBD. After contamination by cannabis smoking, THC levels were in line with past in vitro and in vivo studies. Samples exposed to cannabis (169.30 ng/mg) showed significantly higher Δ9-THC than hair exposed to "light cannabis" (35.54 ng/mg), and the opposite was seen for the CBD/Δ9-THC ratio. Hair contaminated by vaping or smoking did not show a statistically different Δ9-THC content. Under our in vitro conditions, hair analysis might allow to discriminate whether external contamination is determined by products containing low or high Δ9-THC, but not the delivering mode. More research is needed in real-life conditions, to see whether the same also applies to the interpretation of forensic casework.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Arianna Giorgetti
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, Unit of Legal Medicine, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Paolo Fais
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, Unit of Legal Medicine, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Jennifer Paola Pascali
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, Unit of Legal Medicine, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Susan Mohamed
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, Unit of Legal Medicine, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Francesca Rossi
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, Unit of Legal Medicine, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Marco Garagnani
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, Unit of Legal Medicine, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Guido Pelletti
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, Unit of Legal Medicine, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Nahar L, Gavril GL, Sarker SD. Application of gas chromatography in the analysis of phytocannabinoids: An update (2020-2023). PHYTOCHEMICAL ANALYSIS : PCA 2023; 34:903-924. [PMID: 37963411 DOI: 10.1002/pca.3303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2023] [Revised: 10/22/2023] [Accepted: 10/22/2023] [Indexed: 11/16/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Cannabinoids are a group of compounds that bind to cannabinoid receptors. They possess pharmacological properties like that of the plant Cannabis sativa. Gas chromatography (GC) is one of the popular chromatographic techniques that has been routinely used in the analysis of cannabinoids in different matrices. OBJECTIVE The article aims to review the literature on the application of GC-based analytical methods for the analysis of phytocannabinoids published during the period from January 2020 to August 2023. METHODOLOGY A thorough literature search was conducted using different databases, like Web of Knowledge, PubMed, Google Scholar, and other relevant published materials including published books. The keywords used, in various combinations, with cannabinoids being present in all combinations, in the search were cannabinoids, Cannabis sativa, marijuana, analysis, GC, quantitative, qualitative, and quality control. From the search results, only the publications that incorporate the GC analysis of phytocannabinoids were reviewed, and papers on synthetic cannabinoids were excluded. RESULTS Since the publication of the review article on GC analysis of phytocannabinoids in early 2020, several GC-based methods for the analysis of phytocannabinoids have appeared in the literature. While simple 1D GC-mass spectrometry (MS) and GC-flame ionisation detector (FID) methods are still quite common in phytocannabinoids analysis, 2D GC-MS and GC-MS/MS are increasingly becoming popular, as these techniques offer more useful data for identification and quantification of phytocannabinoids in various matrices. The use of automation in sample preparation and the utilisation of mathematical and computational models for optimisation of different protocols have become a norm in phytocannabinoids analysis. Pre-analyses have been found to incorporate different derivatisation techniques and environmentally friendly extraction protocols. CONCLUSIONS GC-based analysis of phytocannabinoids, especially using GC-MS, remains one of the most preferred methods for the analysis of these compounds. New derivatisation methods, ionisation techniques, mathematical models, and computational approaches for method optimisation have been introduced.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lutfun Nahar
- Laboratory of Growth Regulators, Palacký University and Institute of Experimental Botany, The Czech Academy of Sciences, Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | - Georgiana-Luminita Gavril
- Department of Bioinformatics, National Institute of Research and Development for Biological Sciences, Bucharest, Romania
| | - Satyajit D Sarker
- Centre for Natural Products Discovery, School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Nava V, Albergamo A, Bartolomeo G, Rando R, Litrenta F, Lo Vecchio G, Giorgianni MC, Cicero N. Monitoring Cannabinoids and the Safety of the Trace Element Profile of Light Cannabis sativa L. from Different Varieties and Geographical Origin. TOXICS 2022; 10:toxics10120758. [PMID: 36548591 PMCID: PMC9785383 DOI: 10.3390/toxics10120758] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2022] [Revised: 11/26/2022] [Accepted: 11/29/2022] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
Non-intoxicating Cannabis sativa L. (i.e., hemp) is increasingly used for industrial, cosmetic and food applications. Despite the fact that the EU has not yet established a regulatory framework on hazardous compounds (i.e., toxic inorganic elements), the monitoring of cannabis products is of paramount importance to safeguard consumers, also in view of the species propensity to accumulate toxic metals from the environment. The aim of this work was to assess the compliance with Law n. 242/2016 and the safety of hemp inflorescences from different varieties and Italian regions by monitoring the main cannabinoids and trace elements. All samples complied with the Italian law due to a THC content <0.6% counterbalanced by high CBD levels. However, inflorescences grown in Apulia and Lombardy, and from Finola and Tiborzallasi varieties accumulated higher Cu, Co, Cr, Ni and Pb contents than products from other producing areas (i.e., Sicily and Latium) and varieties (i.e., Antal, Futura75, Kompolti and Carmagnola), being moreover above the limits set by the US Pharmacopeia. A principal component analysis confirmed that trace elements, including toxic metals, were mainly affected by the geographical origin more than the botanical variety. Overall, this study highlights the need to continuously monitor hemp products and establish the earliest related regulatory frameworks.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Vincenzo Nava
- Department of Biomedical, Dental, Morphological and Functional Image Sciences (BIOMORF), University of Messina, 98100 Messina, Italy
| | - Ambrogina Albergamo
- Department of Biomedical, Dental, Morphological and Functional Image Sciences (BIOMORF), University of Messina, 98100 Messina, Italy
- Correspondence:
| | - Giovanni Bartolomeo
- Science4Life Srl, an Academic Spin-Off of University of Messina, Viale Annunziata, 98100 Messina, Italy
| | - Rossana Rando
- Department of Biomedical, Dental, Morphological and Functional Image Sciences (BIOMORF), University of Messina, 98100 Messina, Italy
| | - Federica Litrenta
- Department of Biomedical, Dental, Morphological and Functional Image Sciences (BIOMORF), University of Messina, 98100 Messina, Italy
| | - Giovanna Lo Vecchio
- Department of Biomedical, Dental, Morphological and Functional Image Sciences (BIOMORF), University of Messina, 98100 Messina, Italy
| | | | - Nicola Cicero
- Department of Biomedical, Dental, Morphological and Functional Image Sciences (BIOMORF), University of Messina, 98100 Messina, Italy
- Science4Life Srl, an Academic Spin-Off of University of Messina, Viale Annunziata, 98100 Messina, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Finley SJ, Javan GT, Green RL. Bridging Disciplines: Applications of Forensic Science and Industrial Hemp. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:760374. [PMID: 35479622 PMCID: PMC9038041 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.760374] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2021] [Accepted: 03/03/2022] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Forensic laboratories are required to have analytical tools to confidently differentiate illegal substances such as marijuana from legal products (i.e., industrial hemp). The Achilles heel of industrial hemp is its association with marijuana. Industrial hemp from the Cannabis sativa L. plant is reported to be one of the strongest natural multipurpose fibers on earth. The Cannabis plant is a vigorous annual crop broadly separated into two classes: industrial hemp and marijuana. Up until the eighteenth century, hemp was one of the major fibers in the United States. The decline of its cultivation and applications is largely due to burgeoning manufacture of synthetic fibers. Traditional composite materials such as concrete, fiberglass insulation, and lumber are environmentally unfavorable. Industrial hemp exhibits environmental sustainability, low maintenance, and high local and national economic impacts. The 2018 Farm Bill made way for the legalization of hemp by categorizing it as an ordinary agricultural commodity. Unlike marijuana, hemp contains less than 0.3% of the cannabinoid, Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol, the psychoactive compound which gives users psychotropic effects and confers illegality in some locations. On the other hand, industrial hemp contains cannabidiol found in the resinous flower of Cannabis and is purported to have multiple advantageous uses. There is a paucity of investigations of the identity, microbial diversity, and biochemical characterizations of industrial hemp. This review provides background on important topics regarding hemp and the quantification of total tetrahydrocannabinol in hemp products. It will also serve as an overview of emergent microbiological studies regarding hemp inflorescences. Further, we examine challenges in using forensic analytical methodologies tasked to distinguish legal fiber-type material from illegal drug-types.
Collapse
|