Short term feeding of industrial hemp with a high cannabidiolic acid (CBDA) content increases lying behavior and reduces biomarkers of stress and inflammation in Holstein steers

Abstract

Industrial hemp (IH) is defined as Cannabis sativa containing < 0.3% delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and was legalized in the 2018 Farm Bill. The impact of cannabinoids in IH fed to livestock, especially after repeat exposure, has not been thoroughly investigated. Sixteen male castrated Holstein cattle weighting (± SD) 447 ± 68 kg were enrolled onto the study. Cattle were allocated into two treatment groups either receiving IH (HEMP, n = 8) or a control (CNTL, n = 8). Cattle in the HEMP group were fed 25 g IH mixed in 200 g of grain once a day for 14 days to target a daily dose of 5.5 mg/kg of cannabidiolic acid (CBDA). Behavior was continuously monitored with accelerometers and blood samples were collected at predetermined time points for plasma cannabinoid, serum cortisol, serum haptoglobin, liver enzymes, serum amyloid A, and prostaglandin E2 concentrations. The HEMP group spent a mean 14.1 h/d (95% CI 13.6–14.6 h/d) lying compared to the 13.4 h/d (95% CI 12.9–13.8 h/d) for the CNTL cattle (P = 0.03). Cortisol concentrations in the HEMP group were lower than the CNTL group (P = 0.001). Cattle in the HEMP group demonstrated an 8.8% reduction in prostaglandin E2 concentrations from baseline compared to a 10.2% increase from baseline observed in the CNTL group. No differences for haptoglobin or serum amyloid A were observed. These results suggest that feeding IH with a high CBDA content for 14 days increases lying behavior and decreases biomarkers of stress and inflammation in cattle.

Fast and sensitive LC‐MS/MS method for quantification of cannabinoids and their metabolites in plasma of cattle fed hemp

“…The LODs of the cannabinoids ranged from 0.1 to 0.2 ng/mL, while the LOQ ranged from 0.25 to 0.5 ng/mL. Our method demonstrated higher analytical sensitivity for target cannabinoids, such as THC, in cattle plasma compared to previous studies that analyzed these cannabinoids in livestock, which were feed hemp or CBD‐derived materials [8, 17–21, 30]. Additionally, our developed method utilized smaller or comparable sample sizes and reduced analysis run time, as indicated in Table 3.…”

“…The cattle had been fed grain mixed with industrial hemp once a day for a period of 14 days. The animal study was conducted in compliance with legislative and regulatory requirements, as stated in the original study [8].…”

“…Studies have shown that it can increase the levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids in egg and meat products from laying hens and broilers [7]. Additionally, it has been found to improve the lying behavior of cattle and reduce biomarkers associated with stress and inflammation [8].…”

A One Health perspective on comparative cannabidiol and cannabidiolic acid pharmacokinetics and biotransformation in humans and domestic animals

“…Feeding of this CBDA-rich preparation for a 2-week period was found to induce behavioral changes (increased recumbency) and a reduction of circulating inflammatory biomarkers (cortisol, prostaglandin E2). 20 This was correlated with measurable levels of acidic forms of the cannabinoids (especially CBDA) but a lack of significant CBD serum levels. The results of these PK studies and comparison with data in horses are shown in Table 2.…”

Hemp in Animal Diets—Cannabidiol

“…Based on the research results of Kleinhenz et al [ 149 ], the biomarkers of inflammation and stress declined on adding hemp to male Holstein diets (with a target dose of 5.5 mg/kg CBDA).…”