Validation and Quantitation of Fifteen Cannabinoids in Cannabis and Marketed Products Using High-Performance Liquid Chromatography-Ultraviolet/Photodiode Array Method
Mostafa A. Elhendawy, Mohamed M. Radwan, E. Ibrahim, A. Wanas, S. Chandra, Murrell Godfrey, Mahmoud A. Elsohly
Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research October 5, 2023 DOI: 10.1089/can.2022.0335 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Analytical method development and validation study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Cannabis sativa plant materials and cannabis-based marketed products, including four cannabis varieties |
| Topics | Cannabis |
| Key points | The validated HPLC-UV/PDA method separated and quantified 15 cannabinoids with linear calibration from 5 to 75 μg/mL (R2 > 0.999), detection limits of 0.2–1.6 μg/mL, quantification limits of 0.6–4.8 μg/mL, and average recoveries of 81–104%. The authors conclude it is sensitive, selective, reproducible, and accurate for simultaneous cannabinoid determination in C. sativa biomass and cannabis-derived marketed products. |
Abstract
Background: Cannabis sativa is a psychoactive plant indigenous to Central and South Asia, traditionally used both for recreational and religious purposes, in addition to folk medicine. Cannabis is a rich source of natural compounds, the most important of which are commonly known as cannabinoids that cause a variety of effects through interaction with the endocannabinoid system.
Materials and Methods: In this study, a high-performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet/photodiode array (PDA) method was developed and validated for the analysis of 15 cannabinoids in cannabis plant materials and cannabis-based marketed products. These cannabinoids are cannabidivarinic acid, cannabidivarin, cannabidiolic acid, cannabigerolic acid, cannabigerol, cannabidiol, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabivarin, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabivarinic acid, cannabinol, delta-9-tetrahyrocannabinol, delta-8-tetrahyrocannabinol, cannabicyclol, cannabichromene, delta-9-tetrahyrocannabinolic acid A, and cannabichromenic acid. The separation was carried out using a reversed-phase Luna® C18(2) column and a mobile phase consisting of 75% acetonitrile and 0.1% formic acid in water. A PDA detector was used, and data were extracted at λ=220 nm. Principal component analysis of cannabis four varieties was performed.
Results: The method was linear over the calibration range of 5–75 μg/mL with R2>0.999 for all cannabinoids. This method was sensitive and gave good baseline separation of all examined cannabinoids with limits of detection ranging between 0.2 and 1.6 μg/mL and limits of quantification ranging between 0.6 and 4.8 μg/mL. The average recoveries for all cannabinoids were between 81% and 104%. The measured repeatability and intermediate precisions (% relative standard deviation) in all varieties ranged from 0.35% to 9.84% and 1.11% to 5.26%, respectively.
Conclusions: The proposed method is sensitive, selective, reproducible, and accurate. It can be applied for the simultaneous determination of these cannabinoids in the C. sativa biomass and cannabis-derived marketed products.