Phytocannabinoids Profile in Medicinal Cannabis Oils: The Impact of Plant Varieties and Preparation Methods

Abstract

Cannabis (Cannabis sativa L.) is a highly promising medicinal plant with well-documented effectiveness and growing use in the treatment of various medical conditions. Cannabis oils are mostly used in galenic preparations, due to their easy adjustment of the administration dose, together with the enhanced bioavailability of its active compounds. As stated by the Italian Law (9/11/2015, 279 Official Gazette), “to ensure the quality of the oil-based cannabis preparation, the titration of the active substance(s) should be carried out.” This study aims to represent the Italian panorama of cannabis oils, which were analyzed (8,201) to determine their cannabinoids content from 2017 to 2019. After application of the exclusion criteria, 4,774 standardized cannabis oils were included, which belong to different medicinal cannabis varieties and prepared according to different extraction methods. The concentration of the principal cannabinoids was taken into account dividing samples on the basis of the main extraction procedures and cannabis varieties. According to this analysis, the most substantial variations should be attributed to different cannabis varieties rather than to their extraction protocols. This study may be the starting point of preparatory pharmacists to assess the correct implementation of the preparation procedures and the quality of the extracts.

Inhibition of human recombinant T‐type calcium channels by phytocannabinoids in vitro

“…A further area to be explored is the potential interaction at T-type I Ca between Cannabis terpenoids and the phytocannabinoids examined here, as terpenoids alone also modulate these channels (El Alaoui et al, 2017;Gadotti et al, 2021). Cas et al, 2020;Suraev et al, 2018). However, defining the activities of naturally low abundance phytocannabinoids compounds at human T-type I Ca will contribute to a more complete understanding of their actions in more complex systems and is an essential part of understanding the pharmacology of Cannabis.…”

“…This present study shows that phytocannabinoids, alone or in combination, have the potential to exert therapeutic effects on diseases associated with aberrant T‐type I Ca activity, without the unwanted psychotropic effects associated with THC‐dominant medicinal cannabis. Several studies have demonstrated anticonvulsant effects of cannabis extract preparations (Hussain et al, 2015; Tzadok et al, 2016), but recent studies, including a survey showing the composition and use of unregulated cannabis extracts in the treatment of childhood epilepsy in the Australian community, indicate a significant variability in the minor phytocannabinoid content, making correlation between specific cannabinoid content and effectiveness difficult (Dei Cas et al, 2020; Suraev et al, 2018). However, defining the activities of naturally low abundance phytocannabinoids compounds at human T‐type I Ca will contribute to a more complete understanding of their actions in more complex systems and is an essential part of understanding the pharmacology of Cannabis .…”

Marijuana toxicosis in 2 donkeys

“…10 The bioavailability of plant material itself is lower in comparison because conversion of tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA) to its neutral counterpart THC must occur in order to have psychoactive effects. 4 During the drying of cannabis, THCA is converted to THC. 19 It was surprising that THCA was not detected in the jenny’s plasma following exposure to the fresh, undried plant material (Table 1).…”

Cannabis-Based Oral Emulsion for Medical Purposes to Meet the Needs of Patients: Formulation, Quality and Stability

“…This variability stems from the application of differing operating protocols during the preparation phase, but also because of the natural variability of Cannabis inflorescences. To minimise the former factor, it is to be hoped that there will soon be a standard production protocol for Cannabis extracts [ 5 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 ].…”