Session: Undergraduate Research Posters: Analytical Chemistry:

Cannabidiol (CBD) has seen a boom in popularity in recent years with the number of users and scientific publications around the substance increasing dramatically. Originally an anti-epileptic, it has come to be marketed for many other uses, including to treat inflammation, anxiety, cancer. However, as a natural product, cannabidiol has not undergone the rigorous drug approval procedure of typical pharmaceuticals. Especially noticeable is the lack of data regarding long-term effects such as induction of cancer, infertility, or malformations of offspring. All of these long-term effects are manifestations of genetic damage. DNA oxidation is the primary mechanism of DNA mutation. There are many products of DNA oxidation, however the most common and most easily identifiable by chromatographic methods is 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2’-deoxyguanosine (8-oxo-dG). 8-oxo-dG is a DNA damage lesion for which specific repair enzymes exist in the cellular environment and that has been shown to cause G-T transversions in the genetic code making it a great indicator of oxidative stress. This study reports on a novel LC-MS method used to observe a dose-dependent increase in the abundance of 8-oxo-dG from DNA extracted from HepG2 cells treated with low concentrations of CBD. LC-MS/MS was also used to propose ROS-active analogues of CBD. These results question the perceived harmless nature of this “wonder-drug” and warrant further study into the long-lasting genetic damage of cannabidiol that may have been overlooked in its rapid rise in popularity.

Jack A Queenan

University of St. Thomas

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