# Isolation and Pharmacological Evaluation of Impurities in Δ-8-THC Products

> **NIH NIH R21** · ELSOHLY LABORATORIES, INC. · 2024 · $198,912

## Abstract

Summary:
∆8-THC is a minor cannabinoid found in the cannabis plant, possibly as an artifact
resulting from non-enzymatic isomerization of a small amount of ∆9-THC. Outside of the
plant, ∆8-THC can be easily synthesized from CBD. As a result of federal and state
policy changes, the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, and the absence of clear
guidance on the control status of ∆8-THC, manufacturers have produced large supplies
of this cannabinoid, which is now available to the public everywhere unregulated, in
spite of clear warning from the CDC and FDA to the possible risks of consuming ∆8-THC
containing products.
The synthetic process of converting hemp-derived CBD to ∆8-THC results in several
impurities in the marketed products. Our group has identified 15 impurities, eight of
them with no known pharmacological properties. The goal of this proposal is directed
toward the isolation and characterization of these impurities in sufficient supply to study
their pharmacology and their interaction with ∆8-THC. This will be achieved through the
following set of specific aims:
Aim 1: To scale up the isolation process for ∆8-THC products' impurities to prepare
enough supply for both in vitro and in vivo evaluation.
Aim 2: To assess the affinity, potency, and behavioral effects of ∆8-THC products'
impurities. This will be carried out using in vitro assays to study the binding affinity of
each impurity to human CB1, CB2, and GPR55 receptors. Efficacy and potency will be
evaluated using functional GTPγS and/or cAMP assays as well as calcium mobilization
assays in cultured neurons.
Further, in vivo testing of impurities' effects on body temperature, locomotion, catalepsy
and nociception will be evaluated in cohorts of male and female mice (tetrad assay).
Aim 3: To determine whether ∆8-THC impurities can potentiate, antagonize, or be
additive to the psychoactive effects of ∆8-THC through both in vitro and in vivo studies.
Our team has the necessary expertise to achieve these goals. At the conclusion of this
work, we will have a good understanding of the pharmacology of these impurities and
how they influence the effects of ∆8-THC.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10869733
- **Project number:** 1R21DA060394-01
- **Recipient organization:** ELSOHLY LABORATORIES, INC.
- **Principal Investigator:** Nicole M Ashpole
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $198,912
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-04-15 → 2026-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10869733

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10869733, Isolation and Pharmacological Evaluation of Impurities in Δ-8-THC Products (1R21DA060394-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10869733. Licensed CC0.

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