Published: Journal of Analytical Toxicology, ISSN 0146-4760, Volume 25, Number 6 September 2001, pp. 476-480

TECHNICAL NOTE: Identification and Quantitation of 11-Nor-D9-Tetrahydrocannabivarin-9-Carboxylic Acid, a Major Metabolite of D9-Tetrahydrocannabivarin
Mahmoud A. ElSohly [1,2,3], Shixia Feng [1], Timothy P. Murphy [1], Anthony W. Warrington [1], Samir Ross [2,4], Allison Nimrod [2], Zlatko Mehmedic [2], and Neil Fortner [5]
[1] ElSohly Laboratories, Incorporated, 5 Industrial Park Drive, Oxford, Mississippi 38655; [2] National Center for Natural Products Research, [3] Department of Pharmaceutics, and [4] Department of Pharmacognosy, School of Pharmacy, University of Mississippi, University, Mississippi 38677; and [5] PharmChem Laboratories, 1505 O’Brien Drive, Menlo Park, California 94025

After incubation of Ð9-tetrahydrocannabivarin with human hepatocytes, a major metabolic product was detected by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry that showed identical retention time and mass spectrum to the synthetic 11-nor-D9-tetrahydrocannabivarin-9-carboxylic acid (11-nor-D9-THCV-9-COOH). Analysis of human urine specimens from marijuana users and plasma samples from Marinol® users showed that 11-nor-D9-THCV-9-COOH was only present in urine specimens of marijuana users. These results supported the conclusion that identification of 11-nor-D9-THCV-9-COOH in a donor’s urine specimen indicates the use or ingestion of cannabis-related product(s) and would not explain the sole use of Marinol.

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