Journal:Fast detection of 10 cannabinoids by RP-HPLC-UV method in Cannabis sativa L.
| Full article title | Fast detection of 10 cannabinoids by RP-HPLC-UV method in Cannabis sativa L. |
|---|---|
| Journal | Molecules |
| Author(s) | Mandrioli, Mara; Tura, Matilde; Scotti, Stefano; Toschi, Tullia Gallina |
| Author affiliation(s) | University of Bologna, Shimadzu Italia |
| Primary contact | Email: tullia dot gallinatoschi at unibo dot it |
| Editors | Locatelli, Marcello |
| Year published | 2019 |
| Volume and issue | 24(11) |
| Page(s) | 2113 |
| DOI | 10.3390/molecules24112113 |
| ISSN | 1420-3049 |
| Distribution license | Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International |
| Website | https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/24/11/2113/htm |
| Download | https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/24/11/2113/pdf (PDF) |
Abstract
Cannabis has regained much attention as a result of updated legislation authorizing many different uses, and it can be classified on the basis of the content of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC), a psychotropic substance for which there are legal limitations in many countries. For this purpose, accurate qualitative and quantitative determination is essential. The relationship between THC and cannabidiol (CBD) is also significant, as the latter substance is endowed with many specific and non-psychoactive proprieties. For these reasons, it becomes increasingly important and urgent to utilize fast, easy, validated, and harmonized procedures for determination of cannabinoids. The procedure described herein allows rapid determination of 10 cannabinoids from the inflorescences of Cannabis sativa L. by extraction with organic solvents. Separation and subsequent detection are by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detector (RP-HPLC-UV). Quantification is performed by an external standard method through the construction of calibration curves using pure standard chromatographic reference compounds. The main cannabinoids dosed (g/100 g) in actual samples were cannabidiolic acid (CBDA), CBD, and Δ9-THC (Sample L11 CBDA 0.88 ± 0.04, CBD 0.48 ± 0.02, Δ9-THC 0.06 ± 0.00; Sample L5 CBDA 0.93 ± 0.06, CBD 0.45 ± 0.03, Δ9-THC 0.06 ± 0.00). The present validated RP-HPLC-UV method allows determination of the main cannabinoids in Cannabis sativa L. inflorescences and appropriate legal classification of it as either hemp or a drug-type.
Keywords: cannabinoids, Cannabis sativa L., HPLC, validation
Supplementary material
The following are available online here (.zip):
File S1: Standard operating procedure (SOP) of the method presented in this article, Table S1: Calibration curves relating to the standard solution of 10 cannabinoids determined by RP-HPLC-UV method, Figure S1: Calibration curves relating to the standard solution of 10 cannabinoids determined by RP-HPLC-UV method, File S2: Preliminary tests carried out for development of the analytical procedure by RP-HPLC-UV
Acknowledgements
The authors gratefully acknowledge Enecta Srl for providing samples. The experimentation was conducted in the context of a PhD project entitled Harmonized procedures of analysis of medical, herbal, food and industrial cannabis: Development and validation of cannabinoids’ quality control methods, of extraction and preparation of derivatives from the plant raw material, according to the product destination and funded by Enecta Srl.
Author contributions
Conceptualization, T.G.T., M.M. and M.T.; Methodology, M.M.; Software, M.M. and S.S.; Validation, M.M.; Formal analysis, M.M.; Investigation, T.G.T. and M.M.; Resources, T.G.T. and M.M.; Data curation, M.M., T.G.T. and M.T.; Writing—original draft preparation, M.M., M.T. and T.G.T.; writing—review and editing, T.G.T. and S.S.; Visualization, T.G.T.; Supervision, T.G.T.; project administration, T.G.T.; funding acquisition, T.G.T.
Funding
This research received no external funding; this trial received financial support from Enecta Srl.
Conflicts of interest
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
References
Notes
This presentation is faithful to the original, with only a few minor changes to presentation. Some grammar and punctuation was cleaned up to improve readability. In some cases important information was missing from the references, and that information was added.
