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. 2024 Nov 19;14(22):3328.
doi: 10.3390/ani14223328.

The Pharmacokinetics of Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol in Sheep

Sarah A Stevens  1 , Scott H Edwards  1 , Glenys K Noble  1 , Colin J Scrivener  1 , Gaye L Krebs  1 , Christopher E Petzel  1 , Christopher D May  2 , Zi Xuan Tai  2 , Bronwyn L Blake  3 , Kenneth C Dods  4 , Leon N Warne  5   6   7
Affiliations

The Pharmacokinetics of Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol in Sheep

Sarah A Stevens et al. Animals (Basel). .

Abstract

The pharmacokinetics of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC) has not been established in ruminants. Pharmacokinetic knowledge is important given feeding industrial hemp biomass has been shown to result in tissue residues post feeding in sheep. Due to a lack of testing and available data, a 'maximum' concentration of Δ9-THC has not been currently set for foods of animal origin. Consequently, this study was designed to gain a better understanding of how ruminants process Δ9-THC. Eight Merino ewes were administered with two per os (PO) doses of 88.5 mg Δ9-THC/kg bodyweight (BW) 12 h apart. Blood samples were collected periodically post dosing to determine the pharmacokinetics of Δ9-THC and subcutaneous fat biopsies were taken to investigate the deposition and elimination of Δ9-THC from sheep. An elimination half-life of 31.40 ± 13.87 h was identified, with residues persisting in the subcutaneous fat for 28 d in five of the eight sheep, before decreasing below the limit of detection in all sheep by 91 d. These results support the prolonged presence of Δ9-THC residues previously identified. Thus, imposing a practical withholding period for ruminants involved in the food chain may not be possible, with further research required to investigate how iHemp biomass may be safely fed to ruminants.

Keywords: THC; industrial hemp; pharmacokinetics; residues; ruminants.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript; or in the decision to publish the results. There are no relevant financial or non-financial competing interests to report.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Plasma concentrations of Δ9-THC at various times after either a single IV or single PO dose of 18.7 mg Δ9-THC/kg BW to two Merino ewes.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Total ion chromatogram comprising MRM transitions for cannabinoid and metabolite analytes in in-house analytical method ORG179.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Mean ± SD plasma concentration of Δ9-THC at various times after PO administration to 8 adult Merino ewes at a dose of 177 mg/kg BW.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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