Abstract
The popularity of Cannabis extracts in the treatment of hard-to-manage clinical conditions and the lack of access to pharmaceutical grade Cannabis products have impacted the increase of clandestine and artisanal product consumption in Brazil. Currently, hundreds of judicial authorizations for Cannabis cultivation and artisanal extract preparation have been granted in Brazil. To evaluate the artisanal preparation techniques and improve Cannabis extract quality, preparations by patients were monitored between 2017 and 2022, and a preparation method by supercritical fluid extraction was developed. Between 2017 and 2018, the most common technique used by participants was the decoction of flowers in heated oil that provided extracts with low cannabinoid levels and the predominance of acid cannabinoids as well as high microbiological contamination. Between 2019 and 2022, decarboxylation by heating and extraction by maceration in ethanol were tested to decrease the microbiological contamination and increased the neutral cannabinoid levels in the extracts. Cannabidiol levels measured in 2021 (26.0 ± 31.1 mg/g) and 2022 (42.9 ± 15.5 mg/g) in the extracts prepared at home with pharmaceutical support were similar to industrial products and higher in cannabinoids than the products supplied by non-governmental organizations. Cannabis extracts prepared by supercritical fluid extraction at 50 °C at a pressure of 15 MPa and 800 g CO2 for 15–24 min from 9–24 g decarboxylated Cannabis flower provided cannabidiol recoveries > 80%. Soxhlet extraction, used as a comparison method, showed excellent recoveries and is a low-cost alternative technology that is feasible to implement in community pharmacies.
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Acknowledgements
We are grateful for the financial support from the Serrapilheira Institute (grant number Serra-1709-18891), Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico-CNPQ, Brazil (Process Number-426406/2018-4), and Fundação Carlos Chagas Filho de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (process number-E26/010.101037/2018).
Funding
This work was supported by the Serrapilheira Institute (grant number Serra-1709-18891), by Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico-CNPQ, Brazil (Process Number-426406/2018-4), and by Fundação Carlos Chagas Filho de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (Process Number-E26/010.101037/2018).
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VMC coordinated the research and was responsible for conceptualization, funding acquisition, statistical analysis, writing original draft, review, and editing. VMC also supervised the development of the GC-MS, HPLC, and SFE methodologies, and supervised the monitoring of the crops and Cannabis extract preparation at patients’ home. JSC performed the microbiological analysis and microbiological data processing, and helped in the writing of original draft and review. JSC also contributed in the monitoring of the crops and Cannabis extract preparation at patients’ home. JABF supervised the microbiological analysis and resources of the microbiological laboratory. LMGS performed the metal analysis and data processing and contributed in the writing of original draft and review. SCJ supervised resources and metal analysis. FGA performed the validation of the cannabinoid quantification method in plants and contributed in the monitoring of the crops and Cannabis extract preparation at patients’ home. EDR developed the methodologies for quantification of terpenes and cannabinoids, performed the SFE study, and contributed in the monitoring of the crops and Cannabis extract preparation at patients’ home. AMV contributed in the monitoring of the crops and Cannabis extract preparation at patients’ home. AJRS supervised the SFE study and contributed in writing original draft and review. RMS contributed in the writing original draft and review.
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The present study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Clementino Fraga Filho Hospital, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Number 2021817.0.00005257.
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The authors declare no competing interests.
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Carvalho, V.M., dos Santos Carmo, J., dos Santos, L.M.G. et al. Pharmaceutical Evaluation of Medical Cannabis Extracts Prepared by Artisanal and Laboratory Techniques. Rev. Bras. Farmacogn. 33, 724–735 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43450-023-00412-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s43450-023-00412-8