Early detection of cannabinoids in biological samples based on their affinity interaction with the growth hormone secretagogue receptor

Affinity Assays for Cannabinoids Detection: Are They Amenable to On-Site Screening?

“…This method seems suitable for a yes/no format around a threshold value (since positive results were obtained for THC levels exceeding 12 ng/mL. It was found recently that CBD and carboxy-THC act as allosteric modulators of the growth hormone secretagogue receptor (GHS-R1a) during its interaction with the endogenous ligand, ghrelin (GHR) [ 26 ], and this fact can be further exploited to detect these cannabinoids using a surface competition assay format.…”

“…Thus, carboxy-THC and CBD were detected via their interaction with the growth hormone secretagogue receptor (GHS-R1a), in competition with the labeled ghrelin GHR) (GHS-R1a’s endogenous ligand) [ 26 ] ( Figure 4 ). It was noticed that the two cannabinoids acted as allosteric modulators of GHS-R1a.…”

“…The immobilized recognition element was GHS-R1a. Reproduced from [ 26 ] with permission from Elsevier.…”

“…Cannabinoids are listed as substances whose use is prohibited in sports competitions along with performance-enhancing substances (PES). Anabolic substances that stimulate muscle growth, and substances that enhance oxygen transport are also included in the PES list [ 25 ]; Cannabis abuse should be banned not only during sports competitions but also prior to competitions, considering the time span required for carboxy-THC to clear from urine to a level below the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) recommended threshold value of 15 ng/mL [ 26 ]. The most relevant cannabinoids, along with their chemical structures and functions, are listed in Table 1 .…”