Volume 43, Issue 11 pp. 1719-1747
RESEARCH ARTICLE

An evaluation of the genotoxicity and 90-day repeated-dose toxicity of a CBD-rich hemp oil

Amy Clewell

Corresponding Author

Amy Clewell

AIBMR Life Sciences, Inc., Seattle, Washington, 98122 USA

Correspondence

Amy Clewell, ND, DABT, AIBMR Life Sciences, Inc., 1425 Broadway, Suite 458, Seattle, WA 98122, USA.

Email: [email protected]

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Róbert Glávits

Róbert Glávits

Toxi-Coop Zrt., Budapest, Hungary

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John R. Endres

John R. Endres

AIBMR Life Sciences, Inc., Seattle, Washington, 98122 USA

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Timothy S. Murbach

Timothy S. Murbach

AIBMR Life Sciences, Inc., Seattle, Washington, 98122 USA

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Péter Tamás Báldi

Péter Tamás Báldi

Toxi-Coop Zrt., Budapest, Hungary

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Tibor Renkecz

Tibor Renkecz

Toxi-Coop Zrt., Budapest, Hungary

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Gábor Hirka

Gábor Hirka

Toxi-Coop Zrt., Budapest, Hungary

Toxi-Coop Zrt., Balatonfüred, Hungary

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Adél Vértesi

Adél Vértesi

Toxi-Coop Zrt., Balatonfüred, Hungary

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Erzsébet Béres

Erzsébet Béres

Toxi-Coop Zrt., Balatonfüred, Hungary

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Ilona Pasics Szakonyiné

Ilona Pasics Szakonyiné

Toxi-Coop Zrt., Budapest, Hungary

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First published: 28 July 2023

Funding information: The authors disclose that financial support for the research described herein was provided by Kazmira LLC, Watkins, Colorado, 80137, USA.

Adél Vértesi, Erzsébet Béres, Ilona Pasics Szakonyiné are co-senior authors.

Abstract

Currently, there is much interest in the sales and study of consumable Cannabis sativa L. products that contain relatively high levels of cannabidiol (CBD) and low levels of Δ-9-tetrahydrocannabinol. While there are published safety evaluations for extracts containing low concentrations of CBD, toxicological assessments for those with higher concentrations are still scant in the public domain. In this paper, genotoxicity tests and a 90-day repeated-dose toxicity study of an ethanolic extract of C. sativa containing ~85% CBD were performed following relevant OECD guidelines. No increased gene mutations were observed in a bacterial reverse mutation assay compared to controls up to the maximum recommended concentration of the guideline. An in vitro chromosomal aberration assay showed no positive findings in the short-term (3 h) treatment assays. Long-term treatment (20 h) showed an increased number of cells containing aberrations at the highest dose of 2 μg/mL, which was outside of historical control levels, but not statistically significantly different from the controls. An in vivo micronucleus study showed no genotoxic potential of the test item in mice. A 90-day repeated-dose gavage study using 0, 75, 125, and 175 mg/kg bw/day showed several slight findings that were considered likely to be related to an adaptive response to consumption of the extract by the animals but were not considered toxicologically relevant. These included increases in liver and adrenal weights compared to controls. The NOAEL was determined as 175 mg/kg bw/day, the highest dose tested (equivalent to approximately 150 mg/kg bw/day of CBD).

CONFLICTS OF INTEREST STATEMENT

The authors have no conflict of interest to report.

DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.