The pharmaceutical interest in Cannabis sativa L. has been mainly addressed at drug-type Cannabis, thanks to its multiple therapeutic applications, while fibre-type Cannabis (commonly known as industrial hemp or hemp) is at the moment under-employed in this ambit, even if it represents a rich source of non-psychoactive compounds, such as cannabidiol (CBD) and related molecules. Due to the increasing number of studies focused on the characterisation of hemp and on the evaluation of the biological potential of its non-psychoactive components, this work was addressed at the optimization of the extraction conditions of bioactive compounds from hemp inflorescences as well as at the analysis of the extracts by means of innovative methods, using both separation and non-separation techniques. In particular, the profiling of cannabinoids in hemp extracts was performed by HPLC-UV/DAD, ESI-MS and MS2. As for non-separation analytical strategies, cannabinoids were analysed in the same extracts by means of a new method based on 13C quantitative nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (qNMR). In addition to cannabinoids, terpenes were characterized by means both GC-MS and GC-FID techniques coupled with solid-phase micro-extraction operated in the head-space mode (HS-SPME). Furthermore, the analysis of cannabinoids in food and food supplements derived from hemp represents another critical issue for both the quality assurance and the dietary intake control of these biologically active compounds. In this ambit, a particular attention is necessary for apiary products, since they are widely consumed and they can be produced by bees starting from different floral sources. In the light of this, this part of the work was aimed at the development of a new analytical method based on a HPLC-ESI-MS/MS for the determination of CBD and related cannabinoids in honey. As for Cannabis-based medications, they are used for the treatment of different clinical conditions. Among galenic preparations available in Europe, olive oil extracts from medical Cannabis are frequently prescribed for their ease of extraction and usage. In this context, different extraction procedures were developed in this study, of which all but one included a decarboxylation of the plant material. The profile of cannabinoids was studied in detail in both the plant material and the oils by means of HPLC-ESI-MS/MS, while terpenes were characterized by GC coupled with HS-SPME, as previously described.

Rencent advances in the extraction and analysis of cannabinoids and terpenes from cannabis natural products

ACS Spring Meeting 2021

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.