Disposition of cannabichromene, cannabidiol, and Δ⁹-tetrahydrocannabinol and its metabolites in mouse brain following marijuana inhalation determined by high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

J Anal Toxicol. 2010 Oct;34(8):516-20. doi: 10.1093/jat/34.8.516.

Abstract

A liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS-MS)method was developed for the analysis of marijuana cannabinoids in mouse brain tissue using an Applied Biosystems 3200 Q trap with a turbo V source for TurbolonSpray attached to a Shimadzu SCL HPLC system. The method included cannabichromene (CBC),cannabidiol (CBD), Δ⁹-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), 11-hydroxytetrahydrocannabinol (11-OH-THC), and 11-nor-Δ⁹-tetrahydrocannabinol-9-carboxylic acid (THC-COOH). These compounds were isolated by liquid-liquid extraction using cold acetonitrile. The following transition ions were monitored by multiple reaction monitoring (MRM): m/z 315>193, 315>259 for THC/CBD/CBC; m/z 331>193, 331>105 for 11-OH-THC; m/z 345>299, 345>193 for THC-COOH; m/z 318>196 for THC-d₃; m/z 334>196 for 11-OH-THC-d₃, and m/z 348>302 for THC-COOH-d₃. Linearity for THC, 1-OH-THC, and THC-COOH was 1-200 ng/g; for CBC and CBD, it was 0.5-20 ng/g. Within-run and between-run precisions for all the analytes yielded coefficients of variation of < 20%. Four C57BL6 mice were sacrificed 20 min after nose-only exposure to the smoke of 200 mg of marijuana containing 0.44 mg CBC, 0.93 mg CBD, and 8.81 mg THC. The mean brain concentrations were 3.9 ± 1.5 ng/g CBC, 21 ± 3.9 ng/g CBD, 364 ± 74 ng/g THC, and 28 ± 5.9 ng/g 11-OH-THC. THC-COOH was not detected. The relative mean brain cannabinoid concentrations correlated to the amounts of the cannabinoids in the inhaled marijuana.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Brain / metabolism*
  • Cannabidiol / analysis
  • Cannabidiol / metabolism*
  • Cannabinoids / analysis
  • Cannabinoids / metabolism*
  • Cannabis / metabolism*
  • Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid
  • Dronabinol / analysis
  • Dronabinol / metabolism*
  • Inhalation Exposure
  • Limit of Detection
  • Male
  • Marijuana Smoking / metabolism
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Plant Extracts / administration & dosage
  • Plant Extracts / pharmacokinetics*
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Tandem Mass Spectrometry
  • Tissue Distribution

Substances

  • Cannabinoids
  • Plant Extracts
  • Cannabidiol
  • Dronabinol
  • cannabichromene