Abstract
1. The oral sedative potencies of cannabis herb, crude ethanolic and petroleum-ether fractions, were assayed against delta'-trans-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) administered orally to mice, by measuring spontaneous motor activity over 30 min periods, at selected times, up to 6 h. 2. The THC contents of the extracts were determined chemically by gas-liquid chromatography analysis and the B/C ratio (biological activity divided by chemical activity) calculated for each. The B/C values for cannabis herb, which contained THC but no CBD, was 4.47 and for ethanolic and petroleum-ether extracts, 5.26 and 4.39, respectively. 3. The sedative potency expressed as SDA50, the dose required to give 50% effect over 6 h, was 1.06 (0.98 to 1.15) mg/kg for THC; 4.72 (4.22 to 5.27) mg/kg for cannabidiol and 1.26 (1.22 to 1.80) mg/kg for chlorpromazine. 4. An infusion of cannabis herb made with boiling water was shown to have sedative activity of very low potency. 5. When the cannabinoids were completely extracted from a sample of herb with petroleum-ether the aqueous and ethanolic extracts of the marc had some sedative activity; but the 70% ethanolic fraction had none. 6. The sedative activity of THC, cannabis herb and a water soluble fraction is blocked by aspirin, a cyclo-oxygenase inhibitor, and restored by prostaglandin E2 (PGE2). 7. The sedative effect of chlorpromazine is not blocked by aspirin.
Full text
PDF
Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
- Carlini E. A., Karniol I. G., Renault P. F., Schuster C. R. Effects of marihuana in laboratory animals and in man. Br J Pharmacol. 1974 Feb;50(2):299–309. doi: 10.1111/j.1476-5381.1974.tb08576.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Fairbairn J. W., Liebmann J. A. The cannabinoid content of Cannabis sativa L grown in England. J Pharm Pharmacol. 1974 Jun;26(6):413–419. doi: 10.1111/j.2042-7158.1974.tb09306.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Fairbairn J. W., Liebmann J. A. The extraction and estimation of the cannabinoids in Cannabis sativa L. and its products. J Pharm Pharmacol. 1973 Feb;25(2):150–155. doi: 10.1111/j.2042-7158.1973.tb10609.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Fairbairn J. W., Pickens J. T. Activity of cannabis in relation to its delta'-trans-tetrahydro-cannabinol content. Br J Pharmacol. 1981 Mar;72(3):401–409. doi: 10.1111/j.1476-5381.1981.tb10990.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Fairbairn J. W., Pickens J. T. The effect of conditions influencing endogenous prostaglandins on the activity of delta'-tetrahydrocannabinol in mice. Br J Pharmacol. 1980 Jul;69(3):491–493. doi: 10.1111/j.1476-5381.1980.tb07039.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Fairbairn J. W., Pickens J. T. The oral activity of delta'-tetrahydrocannabinol and its dependence on prostaglandin E2. Br J Pharmacol. 1979 Nov;67(3):379–385. doi: 10.1111/j.1476-5381.1979.tb08691.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Hollister L. E., Richards R. K., Gillespie H. K. Comparison of tetrahydrocannabinol and synhexyl in man. Clin Pharmacol Ther. 1968 Nov-Dec;9(6):783–791. doi: 10.1002/cpt196896783. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Jackson D. M., Malor R., Chesher G. B., Starmer G. A., Welburn P. J., Bailey R. The interaction between prostaglandin E1 and delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol on intestinal motility and on the abdominal constriction response in the mouse. Psychopharmacologia. 1976 May 28;47(2):187–193. doi: 10.1007/BF00735820. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- RILEY H., SPINKS A. Biological assessment of tranquillisers. I. J Pharm Pharmacol. 1958 Nov;10(11):657–671. doi: 10.1111/j.2042-7158.1958.tb10358.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- SOMERS G. F. Pharmacological properties of thalidomide (alpha-phthalimido glutarimide), a new sedative hypnotic drug. Br J Pharmacol Chemother. 1960 Mar;15:111–116. doi: 10.1111/j.1476-5381.1960.tb01217.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Svensson T. H., Thieme G. An investigation of a new instrument to measure motor activity of small animals. Psychopharmacologia. 1969;14(2):157–163. doi: 10.1007/BF00403689. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]