The Effects of Cultivation and Extraction Conditions on the Phytochemistry and Bioactivity of Cannabis sativa L.
Open Access
- Author:
- Chacon, Francisco
- Graduate Program:
- Plant Biology
- Degree:
- Doctor of Philosophy
- Document Type:
- Dissertation
- Date of Defense:
- October 01, 2024
- Committee Members:
- Teh-Hui Kao, Program Head/Chair
Joshua Kellogg, Chair & Dissertation Advisor
Amy Arnold, Outside Field Member
Kent Vrana, Outside Unit Member
Charles Anderson, Major Field Member - Keywords:
- Hemp
Cultivation
Extraction
Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme
Cannabinoids
Terpenoids - Abstract:
- Cannabis sativa L. or hemp has become an in-demand crop due to its multiple uses and recent changes in the legality of its cultivation and consumption. However, due to decades of illegalization, our full comprehension of the plant’s biology and its full effects on the human body are limited. This lack of understanding places many growers and consumers at risk of unwanted products or unknown effects. This dissertation investigates these unknowns, covering Cannabis sativa’s cultivation, extraction, and biological activity with special attention to its cannabinoid and terpenoid chemical profile. The chemical profile of the cannabis plant is a trove of bioactive metabolites featuring a myraid chemical compounds that vary in concentrations due to an overwhelming number of cultivars. Throughout this dissertation, we address the complexity of hemp’s cannabinoid and terpenoid profile and answer questions that will aid researchers and commercial vendors in harnessing the chemical composition of this perplexing plant. A key finding in this dissertation is the effects soil health has on cannabinoid and terpenoid content in supercritical CO¬2 extracts of hemp from outdoor grown inflorescence. Revealing that soil health can effect the cannabinoid composition and total terpenoid content based on cultivar. Moreover, this dissertation compared the cannabinoid and terpenoid profiles from three common hemp extraction techniques: hydrodistillation, supercritical CO¬2, and solvent-based (ethanol) extraction. The results demonstrate how extraction protocol is a key regulator of cannabinoid/terpenoid abundance and diversity of any given hemp cultivar. Lastly, a novel in vitro bioactivity was revealed for the neutral cannabinoids cannabidiol (CBD), cannabigerol (CBG), cannabichromene (CBC), and cannabinol (CBN); shedding light on the importance of minor chemical compounds while postulating a possible mechanism of action responsible for the changes in blood pressure after consumption of a hemp extract. All together these studies add to the developing body of information surrounding hemp’s cannabinoid and terpenoid compounds. However, follow-up studies are required to corroborate the implications made by this dissertation and are essential to unraveling the unknowns surrounding this chemically diverse plant.