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

Michele Dei Cas,Paola Minghetti,Francesca Ferri,Antonella Casiraghi,Diego Maria Michele Fornasari,Gabriella Roda,Eleonora Casagni,Veniero Gambaro,Sebastiano Arnoldi

doi:10.3389/fphar.2020.570616

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.

Highlights

The therapeutic benefits of cannabis are more and more recognized at the scientific level (Bar-Lev Schleider et al, 2018; Freeman et al, 2019; Levinsohn and Hill, 2020), and regulation have to consider the evolution of its use (Zaami et al, 2018; Corli et al, 2019; Brunetti et al, 2020)
Despite the growing popularity of cannabis-based medicinal oils (Pacifici et al, 2017; Carcieri et al, 2018; Pacifici et al, 2018; Bettiol et al, 2019; Deidda et al, 2019; Mudge and Brown, 2019; Pacifici et al, 2019; Pegoraro et al, 2019), at the moment, there are no studies in which the cannabinoid composition has been strictly defined considering the variety of the plant and the extraction method
A notable contribution in this research field comes from the National Institute of Health in Italy, who was involved in the determination of long-term stability of cannabinoids in standardized cannabis oils to assure their quality and therapeutic properties (Pacifici et al, 2017; Pacifici et al, 2018; Pacifici et al, 2019)

Summary

Introduction

The therapeutic benefits of cannabis are more and more recognized at the scientific level (Bar-Lev Schleider et al, 2018; Freeman et al, 2019; Levinsohn and Hill, 2020), and regulation have to consider the evolution of its use (Zaami et al, 2018; Corli et al, 2019; Brunetti et al, 2020). There are several listed medical indications in Italy, which should be treated with different cannabis varieties containing tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), cannabidiol (CBD), or both of them (Law 9/11/ 2015, 279 Official Gazette; Ministero della Salute, 2017; EMCDA, 2018). Cannabis with high THC levels (Bedrocan) is used to treat conditions, such as Tourette’s syndrome (Black et al, 2019), glaucoma (Novack, 2016; Panahi et al, 2017), and nausea (Schussel et al, 2018). Pain reduction and muscle spasm (Whiting et al, 2015) should be handled with a Phytocannabinoids in Cannabis Olive Oils combination of THC and CBD, which occur in Bediol. Bedrolite mainly contains CBD and is employed in the treatment of various forms of epilepsy (Rosenberg et al, 2015; Gaston and Friedman, 2017; Brodie and Ben-Menachem, 2018; Office of Medicinal Cannabis, 2019)

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