Abstract
The phytochemical diversity of Cannabis chemovars is not well understood, and many chemovars were created in informal breeding
programs without records of parentage or the criteria for selection. Key criteria
for selection sometimes included aroma notes and visual cues, which some breeders
associated with pharmacological activity. We hypothesized that the process of selection
for scents believed to be related to specific tetrahydrocannabinol levels has resulted
in modified terpene biosynthesis in these chemovars. Thirty-two cannabinoids, 29 monoterpenes
and 38 sesquiterpenes were measured in 33 chemovars from 5 licensed producers. A classification
system based on cannabinoid content was used with targeted metabolomic tools to determine
relationships in the phytochemistry. Three monoterpenes, limonene, β-myrcene, and α-pinene, and two sesquiterpenes, caryophyllene and humulene, were abundant in the
majority of chemovars. Nine terpenes were present in tetrahydrocannabinol-dominant
chemovars. Three monoterpenes and four sesquiterpenes were predominantly found in
cannabidiol-containing chemovars. Low abundance terpenes may have been the aromatic
cues identified by breeders. The medicinal activity of some of the terpenes is likely
to contribute to the pharmacological effect of specific chemovars. Together, these
data demonstrate the synergy of compounds in Cannabis chemovars and point to the need for additional research to understand the phytochemical
complexity.
Key words
Cannabaceae -
Cannabis sativa
- metabolomics - terpenes - headspace GC-MS - entourage
