title: Pharmacokinetics of 11-nor-9-carboxy-Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (CTHC) after intravenous administration of CTHC in healthy human subjects.
abstract: After cannabis consumption there is only limited knowledge about the pharmacokinetic (PK) and metabolic properties of 11-nor-9-carboxy-Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (CTHC), which is formed by oxidative breakdown from Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Despite widely-varying concentrations observed in smoking studies, attempts have been made to interpret consumption behavior with special regard to a cumulated or decreasing concentration of CTHC in serum. Ten healthy nonsmoking white male individuals received 5 mg CTHC intravenously over 10 min. Highest serum concentrations of CTHC were observed at the end of the infusion (336.8+/-61.7 microg/l) followed by a quick decline. CTHC concentration could be quantified up to 96 h after administration, with a terminal elimination half-life of 17.6+/-5.5 h. Total clearance was low (91.2+/-24.0 ml/min), with renal clearance having only a minor contribution (0.136+/-0.094 ml/min). This first metabolite-based kinetic approach will allow an advanced understanding of CTHC PKs data obtained in previous studies with THC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine VI, Clinical Pharmacology and Pharmacoepidemiology, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Glaz-Sandberg
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Dietz
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nguyen
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Oberwittler
authors.forename: Rolf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Aderjan
authors.forename: Gerd
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mikus
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D013759:Dronabinol / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000097:blood / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D006207:Half-Life; D006213:Hallucinogens / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000097:blood / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D006801:Humans; D007262:Infusions, Intravenous; D008297:Male; D008657:Metabolic Clearance Rate; D008875:Middle Aged; D008954:Models, Biological; D012016:Reference Values
chemical_list: D006213:Hallucinogens; C016780:11-nor-delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol-9-carboxylic acid; D013759:Dronabinol