A new ESI-LC/MS approach for comprehensive metabolic profiling of phytocannabinoids in Cannabis

Paula Berman, Biology, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel (bermansh@gmail.com)
Kate Futoran, Biology, Technion - Israel Institute Of Technology, Haifa, Israel
Gil Lewitus, Biology, Technion - Israel Institute Of Technology, Haifa, Israel
Dzmitry Mukha, Biology, Technion - Israel Institute Of Technology, Haifa, Israel
Maya Benami, Biology, Technion - Israel Institute Of Technology, Haifa, Israel
Tomer Shlomi, Biology And Computer Science, Technion - Israel Institute Of Technology, Haifa, Israel
David Meiri, Biology, Technion - Israel Institute Of Technology, Haifa, Israel

Most clinical studies of Cannabis today focus on the contents of two phytocannabinoids: (-)-Δ⁹-trans-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ⁹-THC) and cannabidiol (CBD), regardless of the fact that the plant contains over 100 additional phytocannabinoids whose therapeutic effects and interplay have not yet been fully elucidated. This narrow view of a complex Cannabis plant is insufficient to comprehend the medicinal and pharmacological effects of the whole plant. In this study we suggest a new ESI-LC/MS/MS approach to identify phytocannabinoids from 10 different subclasses, and comprehensively profile the identified compounds in diverse medical Cannabis plants. To this end we used the retention times and MS/MS fragmentation patterns of available phytocannabinoid standards as a reference for the identification of additional phytocannabinoid compounds from all subclasses, for which analytical standards were not available. Overall, 94 phytocannabinoids were identified and used for profiling 36 of the most commonly used Cannabis plants prescribed to patients in Israel. This study’s approach for phytocannabinoid profiling can enable researchers and physicians to analyze the effects of specific Cannabis compositions and is therefore critical when performing biological, medical and pharmacological-based research using Cannabis.

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Short Biography of Presenting Author

Paula has a BSc in Biotechnology Engineering, and MSc and PhD in Environmental Engineering, all from Ben Gurion University of the Negev in Israel. For the last three years Paula has been working as a postdoctoral fellow at the Laboratory of Cancer Biology and Cannabinoid Research in the Technion, Israel (advisor: Prof. David Meiri). As part of her postdoctoral research, Paula develops chemical analysis methods for extraction, detection and profiling of secondary metabolites in medical Cannabis mainly by LC/MS/MS.