CANNABINOIDS QUANTIFICATION IN MEDICINAL Cannabis EXTRACTS BY HIGH PERFORMANCE LIQUID CHROMATOGRAPHY

Cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) are the main active principles in the Cannabis extracts. Rich-CBD extracts are indicated to control seizures in epileptic patients, THC is indicated as antiemetic to patients in chemotherapy treatment and extracts with THC and CBD in proportions of approximately 1:1 are indicated to control spasticity in patients with multiple sclerosis. In Brazil epileptic pediatric patients are treated with imported Cannabis extracts registered as food supplement and with national not regulated Cannabis extracts. With the medical Cannabis sanitary regulation in Brazil, quality control methods will be required. A High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) method was developed and validated for five cannabinoids quantification in oily extracts and resins. The method was applied to 101 Cannabis extracts consumed by patients attended by a risk assessment program. Linearity, selectivity and precision met the validation criteria of national and international sanitary agencies. Cannabis imported oily extracts showed high CBD levels (72.53±60.63 mg mL-1) and low THC levels (1.21±1.32 mg mL-1), while national Cannabis extracts showed mainly two profiles, first composed by negative or cannabinoids traces and the second composed by THC rich extracts (9.81±13.49 mg mL-1). The HPLC method is useful to pharmaceutical production and risk assessment purposes.