Development of a novel Δ⁹-THC-specific color test reagent.

IF 2.8 4区医学 Q2 TOXICOLOGY

Forensic Toxicology Pub Date : 2025-05-19 DOI:10.1007/s11419-025-00727-2

Kenji Tsujikawa, Yuki Okada, Hiroki Segawa, Tadashi Yamamuro, Kenji Kuwayama, Tatsuyuki Kanamori, Yuko T Iwata

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Purpose: Existing on-site color tests for cannabis (e.g., rapid Duquénois-Levine reagent, 4-aminophenol reagent) have insufficient specificity, especially in the point of distinguishing between Δ⁹-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ⁹-THC) and the other cannabinoids. We developed a novel Δ⁹-THC-specific color test reagent.

Methods: Cannabinoid standards were dissolved in 0.5 mL of a 2-hydroxybenzaldehyde solution in acetonitrile (2 g/100 mL) in a glass test tube (solution A). Herbal samples (approximately 10 mg) were extracted using 0.5 mL of the 2-hydroxybenzaldehyde solution in a plastic homogenization vessel. The extract was poured into a glass test tube through a filter cap (solution B). Solutions A and B were mixed with hydrochloric acid (0.5 mL) and allowed to react for 30 s, after which the mixture was extracted with chloroform (1 mL).

Results: When observing the lower layer after the chloroform extraction, Δ⁹-THC and cannabidiol (CBD) exhibited bluish and orangish colors, respectively. In contrast, cannabinol (CBN) did not show any color. The performance of the reagent was evaluated using dried herbal cannabis (n = 58) and other herbal materials (n = 13), including CBD- and CBN-supplemented herbal materials (each n = 2). Only cannabis samples with Δ⁹-THC levels ≥ 0.14% exhibited a bluish or greenish-blue color.

Conclusions: The newly developed reagent shows good specificity for Δ⁹-THC. The new reagent has the potential to replace existing on-site color tests.

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一种新型Δ9-THC-specific显色试剂的研制。

目的：现有的大麻现场颜色试验（例如快速duqusamuis - levine试剂、4-氨基酚试剂）特异性不足，特别是在区分Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol （Δ9-THC）和其他大麻素方面。我们开发了一种新颖的Δ9-THC-specific颜色测试试剂。方法：将大麻素标准品溶于0.5 mL 2-羟基苯甲醛乙腈溶液（2g /100 mL）中，置玻璃试管（溶液a）中。在塑料均质容器中使用0.5 mL 2-羟基苯甲醛溶液提取草药样品（约10 mg）。将提取液通过过滤帽（溶液B）倒入玻璃试管中。将A、B溶液与盐酸（0.5 mL）混合，反应30 s后，用氯仿（1ml）提取。结果：氯仿提取后下层观察，Δ9-THC和大麻二酚（CBD）分别呈蓝色和橙色。相比之下，大麻酚（CBN）没有显示任何颜色。使用干燥的大麻草（n = 58）和其他草药材料（n = 13），包括CBD和cbn补充的草药材料（各n = 2），评估试剂的性能。只有Δ9-THC含量≥0.14%的大麻样品呈现蓝色或绿蓝色。结论：该试剂对Δ9-THC具有良好的特异性。新试剂有可能取代现有的现场颜色测试。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Forensic Toxicology TOXICOLOGY-

CiteScore

5.80

自引率

9.10%

发文量

审稿时长

3 months

期刊介绍： The journal Forensic Toxicology provides an international forum for publication of studies on toxic substances, drugs of abuse, doping agents, chemical warfare agents, and their metabolisms and analyses, which are related to laws and ethics. It includes original articles, reviews, mini-reviews, short communications, and case reports. Although a major focus of the journal is on the development or improvement of analytical methods for the above-mentioned chemicals in human matrices, appropriate studies with animal experiments are also published. Forensic Toxicology is the official publication of the Japanese Association of Forensic Toxicology (JAFT) and is the continuation of the Japanese Journal of Forensic Toxicology (ISSN 0915-9606).