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Published on: May 27, 2022
Novel phenolate salts of bioactive agents: Cannabidiol phenolate salts
Pulikanti Guruprasad Reddy1, Ayala Bar-Hai1, Amnon Hoffman1
1School of Pharmacy-Faculty of Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and Centre for Cannabis Research and the Institute of Drug Research, The Alex Grass Centre for Drug Design and Synthesis, Jerusalem, Israel.
This study introduces novel metal and ammonium salts of cannabidiol (CBD) to improve its water solubility and bioavailability. These synthesized CBD salts show significantly enhanced solubility, offering a promising approach for pharmaceutical applications.
Area of Science:
- Medicinal Chemistry
- Pharmacology
- Drug Delivery
Background:
- Bioactive phenolic compounds, including cannabidiol (CBD), are prevalent in pharmaceuticals.
- CBD's therapeutic potential for anxiety, insomnia, pain, and inflammation is hindered by poor water solubility and low bioavailability.
- Existing medications often utilize phenolic compounds, highlighting the importance of their chemical modification.
Purpose of the Study:
- To synthesize and characterize novel metal and ammonium phenolate salts of cannabidiol (CBD).
- To enhance the water solubility and potentially improve the bioavailability of CBD.
- To explore a new synthetic route for modifying CBD for pharmaceutical applications.
Main Methods:
- Synthesized CBD salts using a dehydration reaction between CBD and various metal/ammonium hydroxides (LiOH, NaOH, KOH, choline, tetrabutylammonium hydroxide) in alcoholic solvents.
- Characterized the synthesized salts using Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR), Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, and elemental (CHN) analysis.
- Assessed CBD salt purity and quantification via High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) and solubility studies; conducted pharmacokinetic evaluation in rats.
Main Results:
- Successfully synthesized CBD salts with lithium, sodium, potassium, choline, and tetrabutylammonium counterions in high yields (74-88%).
- Characterization confirmed the formation of CBD phenolate salts, electrostatically stabilized by the counterions.
- CBD salts exhibited a 110 to 1606-fold increase in water solubility compared to native CBD and demonstrated improved oral pharmacokinetic profiles in rats.
Conclusions:
- The conversion of CBD into metal and ammonium phenolate salts is a viable strategy to significantly enhance its aqueous solubility.
- These novel CBD salts represent a promising advancement for improving CBD's pharmaceutical formulation and therapeutic efficacy.
- The straightforward synthesis and enhanced properties warrant further investigation into the clinical applications of these CBD salts.
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