Cannabis Flashcards
What is Cannabis
A genus of flowering plant
What are the primary bioactive compounds studied in Cannabis
Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)
Cannabidiol (CBD)
Define Cannabinoids
Class of chemical compounds that act act the cannabinoid receptor (Includes THC and CBD)
Define phytocannabinoids
Cannabinoids originating from the natural cannabis plant
What gives cannabis its plant smell
terpenoids
What non-cannabinoid compound is in cannabis, what do they do
Terpenoid and hundreds more, they do not bind to the cannabinoid receptor
Terpenoids have anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, and anti-anxiety effects
No clinical trial to support this
Why is Cannabis hard to understand
Cannabis contains hundreds of different chemicals, hard to know all of the chemical interactions
Different strains vary in the compounds they contain and thus, it becomes hard to standerdize
Define absorption, how does it relate to Cannabis
Bioavailability of a drug
Fraction of the administered drug that reaches effectors
Mostly involved in pharmacokinetic info of THC
What is the bioavailability of THC when smoked
How quick to reach peak plasma concentration
25%
6-10 minutes
Pretty good absorption and quick
Liver is not involved
What is the bioavailability of THC when ingested
How quick to reach peak plasma concentration
6%
2-6 hours
Has to pass through digestive tract
Metabolized into metabolites
What is the distribution of THC
Highly lipophilic (Hangs out in fat)
Tissues with high blood flow rapidly take up THC
THC effect in tissues with low blood flow
Accumulate THC slowly and release it over a longer period of time (Adipose tissue (fat))
THC and fat relationship
THC is stored in fat in chronic/frequent cannabis smokers, can be released into the blood for days
Can THC cross the BBB
Yes
What enzyme helps with THC metabolism, where does this occur
Occurs in liver by cytochrome p450 2C9
What are the metabolites created from THC metabolism
Active: 11-OH-THC
Inactive: THC-COOH
THC Dose Elimination
Length: ____
Amount: ____
Composition: ____
Length: 5 days
Amount 80%-90% of THC dose
Composition: Primary in metabolites, 65% feces, 25% urine
How long can low dose THC be detected in urine
2-5 days
How long can chronic daily cannabis smokers THC dose be detected for. Why?
Can detect THC for weeks
THC is lipophilic and can accumulate in adipose tissue
Released slowly
Excretion takes place over a month
What kind of receptors are Cannabinoid Receptors. What kinds of Cannabinoid Receptors are there
Inhibitory G-protein coupled receptors (Gi coupled)
CB1 and CB2
What is the overall effect of Cannabinoid Receptors
Decrease synaptic transmission
Inhibit neurotransmitter release
What is the mechanism of Cannabinoid Receptors
decrease cAMP
Inhibits influx of Ca2+ in the firing neuron
Inhibits neurotransmitter release
What kind of agonist is THC. What receptor?
Partial agonist at CB1
What kind of agonist is CBD. How does it work? What receptor?
Negative allosteric modulator at CB1
Binds outside of the binding pocket to block receptor activation by reducing effects of THC
Not very understood
Potential Use and Issues of CBD
Could blunt psychotropic effects of THC
Hard to study because of placebo
Low bioavailability
Poorly absorbed