A comparative study of supercritical fluid and ethanol extracts of cannabis inflorescences: Chemical profile and biological activity

We compared chemical profiles and in vitro biological activity of extracts obtained through maceration with ethanol or supercritical fluid extraction with CO2 (scCO2), from two different cannabis inflorescences chemotypes, one with high total tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and other with high total cannabidiol (CBD) content. scCO2 was performed to obtain extracts with highest total THC and CBD recovery using ethanol as a co-solvent. In addition, a short maceration with ethanol was performed for both chemotypes. Cannabinoid and terpene composition of the extracts were determined using chromatographic and spectroscopic methods, and their cytotoxicity and cell proliferation effects were evaluated in vitro using HT-29 colon adenocarcinoma cell line. In vitro biological activity confirmed that cannabis extracts from both chemotypes have anti-proliferative activity but the scCO2 extract from high total THC chemotype was more cytotoxic. These results underscore the importance of chemotype and extraction method selection in the preparation of cannabis extracts for different therapeutic applications.