Cannabis syrups offer anti-inflammatory effects and improved stability

The anti-inflammatory properties of cannabis are well documented. [1] Not much is known, however, about cannabis syrups as an alternative method to the oral administration of cannabinoids. A group of researchers from the University of Benin, Nigeria, has elucidated the effectiveness and stability of cannabis syrups. [2]

Methods used

The cannabis syrup contained 100 mg / ml of a raw cannabis extract, sucrose, aspartame, propylene glycol as a carrier, and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) and sodium metabisulfite (SMBs) as stabilizers. These were made in strengths of 5.0 and 10.0 mg / ml in 50 ml.

Photo from Pixabay

RELATED: Is Cannabis Better Than Traditional Pain Relievers For Sports Injuries?

Stability was evaluated under accelerated temperature conditions. Anti-inflammatory activity was assessed using egg albumin-induced paw edema in an animal model. The Reitman and Frankel colorimetric method was used to evaluate the biochemical assay.

results

The raw cannabis resin and syrup formulations caused varying degrees of anti-inflammatory effects (suppressive paw edema) depending on the dose. However, the activity was more pronounced in the syrup formulations compared to the crude extract. Interestingly, propylene glycol, used as a carrier, significantly increased anti-inflammatory activity.

The researchers hypothesized that “[t]The improved anti-inflammatory effects of the syrups over the crude extract can be attributed in part to the solubilizing power, the increased polar path for maximum absorption, and the favorable distribution of the anti-inflammatory component (s) in the extract through propylene glycol. “

The stability of the syrups was determined by comparing the initial concentration with the final concentration after degradation under stress conditions. Sodium metabisulfite and EDTA improved the stability of the syrups.

The breakdown of cannabis creates thermodynamically unstable compounds that are difficult to separate. [3] This happens after reactions that cause decarboxylation and isomerization. THC and other unstable components can be lost in the process. Therefore, stabilizers can be used to extend the shelf life of cannabis syrups: 20-160 days in syrup containing sodium metabisulfite and an additional 2204 days in syrup containing EDTA.

Conclusion

This research shows that formulating a cannabis extract as a syrup improves anti-inflammatory effects, in part due to the propylene glycol being added to the syrup as a carrier and also the cannabis extract itself due to THC and cannabinol (CBN). The degradation that occurs due to stress conditions follows the first order kinetic model. Stabilizers such as EDTA and SMBs increase the stability of unstable components and thus increase the shelf life by approx. 99%. The addition of SMBs and EDTA helps to extend the shelf life without causing significant biochemical or hematological changes in the subjects. [2]

References

1- Nagarkatti P, Pandey R, Rieder SA, Hegde VL, Nagarkatti M. Cannabinoids as novel anti-inflammatory drugs. Future Med. Chem. 2009; 1 (7): 1333-1349. [journal impact factor = 3.808; times cited = 272]

2- W. Obonga, C. Nnadi, S. Okafor, E. Omeje, P. Igbinnaduwa, et al. Anti-inflammatory activity and accelerated stability studies of raw cannabis sativa extract syrup. Tropical Journal of Pharmaceutical Research. 2019; 18 (2): 295-301. [journal impact factor = 0.533; times cited = 0]

3- Barnett G, Chiang CW, Perez-Reyes M, Owens SM. Kinetic study of marijuana smoking. J Pharmacokinet Biopharm. 1982; 10 (5): 495-506. [journal impact factor = 2.751; times cited = 30]