CBG (Cannabigerol) is a rising star in hemp. It rivals CBD as the next non-psychoactive cannabinoid to dominate the low-THC market. Not only does CBG exhibit therapeutic benefits, but it’s also unique. It acts as a chemical precursor to every other cannabinoid in the plant including CBD and THC. This calls for more research and inquiries about the benefits of this cannabinoid. In this article, we are going to focus on CBG Synthesis on an industrial level.
What is CBG?
Cannabigerol is one of the hundreds of compounds found in cannabis. It is present in both psychoactive marijuana plants and non-psychoactive hemp plants. CBG itself is a non-psychoactive cannabinoid. This means it alone can’t get you high like THC, the psychoactive compound marijuana is best known for, can. Here’s where things get a little more complex to wrap one’s brain around: CBG is a parent molecule.
CBG formation from a cannabis plant
The cannabis plant produces CBGA (the acid form) early on in its growth cycle. As it reaches maturity, enzymes in the plant will break down the CBGA and convert it to either THC, CBD, or CBC. A parent compound is present in a plant. It then converts into other compounds later in the plant’s growth process.
Once converted, the resulting plant contains very little CBG. Even though it starts out with plenty. The more CBD and THC a plant has, the less CBG is still there because the CBG goes through conversion. That’s why CBG synthesis is fairly “new,” or at least, why we didn’t know about its benefits sooner. Now that farmers are aware of the benefits of CBG they are working with ways to increase CBG synthesis. That’s accomplished “by working with the genetics” of the plant. “or by harvesting up to 2 weeks early before it has converted.”
It’s worth noting that any “full-spectrum” CBD product will contain some amount of CBG. Since the full spectrum means that all the compounds in the plant are intact. But, due to the parent / converting nature of CBG, the amount of it in a full spectrum CBD item may be minimal.
CBG Synthesis
CBG synthesis begins with the precursor molecules olivetolic acid and geranyl-pyrophosphate. They combine to form cannabigerol acid. CBGA serves as the precursor to most other cannabinoids. It converts to Tetrahydrocannabinolic acid, Cannabidiolic acid (CBDA), and Cannabichromenic acid. CBGA serves as the precursory molecule to the other cannabinoids. It is in very low quantities in Cannabis. But, strains with less activity of the three major synthesis enzymes accumulate higher levels of CBGA. All produced cannabinoids (including CBG) processes in their acidic form. They are then decarboxylated by heat to create the “active” form.
There is recent deregulation of cannabidiol (CBD) and other hemp-derived cannabinoids. They are CBG, cannabichromene (CBC), and cannabinol (2018 Farm Bill). This leads to a growing interest in cannabinoid pharmacology. For instance, in spite of having CBG as a common precursor, THC, CBD, and CBC have different physiologic effects. THC produces euphoria and appetite stimulation. While CBD is to be antiepileptic and anti-inflammatory. We know little about CBG and CBC, but since there are differences in a ring structure. it is not surprising that they have different pharmacological properties.
Potential Therapeutic Potentials for CBG:
Neuroprotection and Neuromodulation
Some studies show that CBG and a second-generation synthetic quinone derivative, VCE-003.2 have benefits. They have neuroprotective potential in vitro and in animal models. This is to reduce the severity of neurologic illnesses. Such as Huntington’s disease (HD), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, and multiple sclerosis.
Gastrointestinal Disease
Cannabigerol can be therapeutic for gastrointestinal diseases. Diseases like colorectal cancer and colitis using mouse models. In the acid model of colitis, treatment with CBG increased the rate of tissue recovery. This happens in the colon as measured by;
- histologic structure
- the ratio of colon weight to length,
- colonic permeability,
- Reduced inflammation.
The authors also found that CBG was also effective as a treatment. It prevents colitis-associated damage. Studies show Cannabigerol reduced tumor formation in the azoxymethane model of colorectal cancer. It also reduced xenograft tumor growth.
CBG can also increase feeding in rats. It reduces weight loss associated with cisplatin chemotherapy. But an earlier study found no impact of CBG on feeding behavior. Unlike THC and CBD, CBG does not have antiemetic effects. It appears to oppose the antiemetic effects of CBD. Taken together, these studies shows that there may be a role for CBG. This is in chemotherapy-associated weight loss and loss of appetite. Although THC and nabilone proves effective, CBG lacks side effect of these medications.
Metabolic Syndrome
Recent studies on CBG shows promise for its use as part of a treatment for metabolic syndrome. Hypertension, one component of metabolic syndrome, can reduce with α-2 agonist therapy. This reduces synaptic norepinephrine levels to reduce vasoconstriction and improve blood pressure. CBG is the only known cannabinoid that is an agonist at the adrenergic receptor
Antibacterial Agent
Some cannabinoids report to have antibacterial activity. But, CBG is among the most potent cannabinoids. It tests against antibiotic-resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus. In comparison with conventional antibiotics, CBG had a lower least inhibitory concentration. This is more than norfloxacin in five of the six strains tested. It is more potent than erythromycin, tetracycline, and oxacillin in one resistant strain. Using a S. aureus infection model in mice, It shows that CBG was as effective at reducing colony-forming units as vancomycin. Using in silico modeling, We found that CBG acts as an inhibitor of enoyl acyl carrier protein reductase. and they verified their model with in vitro testing. This found that CBG inhibits enoyl acyl carrier, with an IC50 value in the low micromolar range. These data are encouraging because there is a need to develop novel therapeutics. These serves as antibiotic resistance in bacteria is a continuing healthcare issue.
