Oral Cannabidiol Does Not Convert to Δ 8 -THC or Δ 9 -THC in Humans: A Pharmacokinetic Study in Healthy Subjects

• Published in: Cannabis and cannabinoid research Vol. 5; no. 1; p. 89
• Main Authors: Crippa, José Alexandre S, Zuardi, Antonio Waldo, Hallak, Jaime Eduardo Cecílio, Miyazawa, Bruna, Bernardo, Sandra Aparecido, Donaduzzi, Carmem Maria, Guzzi, Silvane, Favreto, Wagner Alex Jann, Campos, Alline, Queiroz, Maria Eugênia C, Guimarães, Francisco S, da Rosa Zimmermann, Patrícia Moura, Rechia, Letícia Mello, Jose Tondo Filho, Volnei, Brum Junior, Liberato
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.03.2020
• Subjects: cannabidiol; UHPLC-ESI-MS/MS; delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol; interconversion; protein precipitation; pharmacokinetics; delta-8-tetrahydrocannabinol
• ISSN: 2378-8763
• DOI: 10.1089/can.2019.0024

Recent studies have suggested that cannabidiol (CBD) could interconvert into Delta-8- and Delta-9- tetrahydrocannabinol. Thus, we tested the plasma samples of 120 healthy human subjects (60 male and 60 female), 60 in fasting and the other 60 under normal feeding conditions after acute administration of an oral solution containing CBD 300 mg. To do this, we developed a bioanalytical method to determine CBD and the presence of THC in plasma samples by Ultra-High Performance Liquid Chromatography Coupled to Tandem Mass Spectrometry. The results showed that THC was not detected in plasma after the administration of CBD, and those study participants did not present psychotomimetic effects. The findings presented here are consistent with previous evidence suggesting that the oral administration of CBD in a corn oil formulation is a safe route for the administration of the active substance without bioconversion to THC in humans.