EFFECT OF THIDIAZURON ON CANNABIS SATIVA L. PLANTLETS AND ISOLATION OF CANNABINOIDS USING CENTRIFUGAL PARTITION CHROMATOGRAPHY

Abstract

Cannabis (Cannabis sativa L.) is a plant native to Thailand. The ability of cannabis to exert effects on health varies depending on different amounts of the active compounds, cannabinoids. These compounds accumulate in the inflorescence of the female plant. When the plant is grown from seed, it is susceptible to genetic instability. However, growing clones using tissue culture guarantees the desired genetics. This study examined the effects of the plant growth regulator thidiazuron (TDZ) on growth and cannabinoids in cloned cannabis plantlets. Moreover, the primary cannabinoids, ∆⁹-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) isolation from seized 400 g of dried cannabis were optimized using Centrifugal Partition Chromatography (CPC), and they were used as the reference standard for compounds quantification. The result showed that 1 g of cannabis extract provided 50 mg CBD and 20 mg THC within 2 h. Moreover, it was found that at TDZ 1.0 µM, the plantlets produced the highest number of multiple shoots after 4 weeks, while the cannabinoids profile under UV detector (220 nm) was no different compared to control without TDZ supplemented. No difference was found in the amounts of CBD and THC from both groups; CBD and THC content was around 0.12 and 0.05 %w/w, respectively, in the plantlets supplemented with 1.0 µM TDZ, while CBD and THC content was around 0.13 and 0.05 % w/w, respectively, in the control group. Treatment with 1.0 µM TDZ can be used to boost cannabis clones. This provides an alternative cloning method for commercial cannabis growers.