An Intravenous Pharmacokinetic Study of Cannabidiol Solutions in Piglets through the Application of a Validated Ultra-High-Pressure Liquid Chromatography Coupled to Tandem Mass Spectrometry Method for the Simultaneous Quantification of CBD and Its Carboxylated Metabolite in Plasma

Abstract

Cannabidiol (CBD) has multiple therapeutic benefits that need to be maximized by optimizing its bioavailability. Numerous formulations are therefore being developed and their pharmacokinetics need to be studied, requiring analytical methods and data from intravenous administration. As CBD is susceptible to hepatic metabolism, the requirement of any method is to quantify metabolites such as 7-COOH-CBD. We demonstrated that CBD and 7-COOH-CBD could be simultaneously and correctly quantified in piglet plasma by using an UHPLC–MS/MS technique. The validated method allowed for an accurate bioanalysis of an intravenously injected solution consisting of CBD-HPβCD complexes. The experimental pharmacokinetic profile of CBD showed multi-exponential decay characterized by a fast apparent distribution half-life (0.25 h) and an elimination half-life of two hours. The profile of 7-COOH-CBD was not linked with the first-pass metabolism, since 80% of the maximum metabolite concentration was reached at the first sampling time point, without any decrease during the period of study. A two-compartment model was optimal to describe the experimental CBD profile. This model allowed us to calculate macro–micro constants and volumes of distribution (Vss = 3260.35 ± 2286.66 mL) and clearance (1514.5 ± 261.16 mL·h−1), showing that CBD is rapidly distributed to peripheral tissues once injected and slowly released into the bloodstream.