Chemical Profiling and Characterization of Different Cultivars of Cannabis sativa L. Inflorescences by SPME-GC-MS and UPLC-MS

Abstract

The chemical profile of the Cannabis sativa L. female inflorescences is rather complex being characterized by a large number of molecules belonging to different chemical classes. Considering the numerous applications in various fields, including the medical and pharmaceutical sectors, that have seen a large use of Cannabis genus in recent years, a precise characterization of the matrices is essential. In this regard, the application of adequate and suitable sampling and analysis techniques becomes important in order to provide an identification of the metabolites characterizing the profile of the sample under examination. The goal of this work is to provide additional information on the chemical composition of the inflorescences of five C. sativa different cultivars grown in Emilia Romagna (Italy) through the application of sophisticated analysis techniques such as Solid-Phase Microextraction-Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry and Ultra-Performance Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (SPME-GC-MS and UPLC-MS). The obtained data highlighted the presence of a high number of volatile and non-volatile compounds, thus allowing a comparative evaluation of the different samples. Furthermore, an in-depth statistical survey by Principal Components Analysis (PCA) and HeatMap, Hierarchical luster Analysis (HCA) and Partial Least Squares Discriminant Analysis (PLS-DA-VIP), was conducted to consider any correlations between the investigated cultivars. The findings of this study may help to provide more information on the C. sativa inflorescences useful for potential applications of their metabolites in scientific research.

Pharmacokinetics of Orally Applied Cannabinoids and Medical Marijuana Extracts in Mouse Nervous Tissue and Plasma: Relevance for Pain Treatment

“…Cannabinoids are bioactive substances found in the Cannabis sativa plants, which show broad variability between different cannabis strains [ 1 , 2 ]. Of the more than a hundred naturally occurring phytocannabinoids that have been identified so far, Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) are the best studied and have been shown to possess distinct physiological and therapeutic properties [ 3 ].…”

Application of gas chromatography in the analysis of phytocannabinoids: An update (2020–2023)

“…Several papers have been published on the GC-MS or GC-MS/MS analysis of phytocannabinoids from plant matrices. 32,[34][35][36]38,41,[43][44][45][46][47][48][49][50][51][52][53][54][55][56]59,60 Dried flowering tops of C. sativa, after hydrodistillation, were extracted with acidic n-hexane using a standard maceration technique at room temperature involving constant agitation in the dark for 3 h, and the GC-MS analysis of the resulting extract afforded identification of CBD (3). 32 The presence of other phytocannabinoids in the extract, for example, CBDV (12), CBDVA (14), THC (10), THCV (13), and THCVA (15), was determined by LC-MS/MS analysis.…”

Metabolomic and Proteomic Profile of Dried Hop Inflorescences (Humulus lupulus L. cv. Chinook and cv. Cascade) by SPME-GC-MS and UPLC-MS-MS

“…The chosen fiber was coated with 50/30 µm DVB/CAR/PDMS (divinylbenzene/carboxen/polydimethylsiloxane). The operative conditions following Cicaloni et al [7] with minor modifications. For the desorption of the collected compound phase, the SPME fiber was inserted in the GC injector maintained at 250 • C in split mode.…”

“…Inspired by our previous study on the chemical characterization of different cultivars of C. sativa L. inflorescences [7], in this work, we investigate the dried inflorescences of two hop cultivars, Chinook (Figure 2A) and Cascade (Figure 2B), using different techniques such as SPM-GC-MS and HPLC-MS -MS in order to obtain an exhaustive characterization of both volatile and non-volatile profile for comparative purposes. In addition, for the first time, we also report their protein content.…”