Federico Márquez1,2, Mariana Lozada1, Yanina L Idaszkin2,3, Rolando González-José4, Gregorio Bigatti1,2,5. 1. Instituto de Biología de Organismos Marinos (IBIOMAR, CONICET), Puerto Madryn, Argentina. 2. Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia San Juan Bosco (UNPSJB), Puerto Madryn, Argentina. 3. Instituto Patagónico para el Estudio de Ecosistemas Continentales (IPEEC, CONICET), Puerto Madryn, Argentina. 4. Instituto Patagónico de Ciencias Sociales y Humanas (IPCSH, CONICET), Puerto Madryn, Argentina. 5. Universidad Espíritu Santo, Guayaquil, Ecuador.
Abstract
Introduction: Cannabis plant uses are widespread across human cultures. The current tendency is to classify Cannabis varieties into chemovars upon their chemical fingerprint, mainly cannabinoids and terpenoids content. The identification of chemovars has important medical implications; however, their pharmacological characterization is costly and time consuming. The goal of this study was to assess whether achene shape variation could be related to Cannabis varieties with contrasting cannabinoid concentrations, as a first approach to chemovar identification. Methods: We used two-dimensional geometric morphometrics (GM) of the achenes and multivariate statistical analysis. We used achenes from five varieties, two from Type II chemotype (expressing both tetrahydrocannabinol [THC] and cannabidiol [CBD]), two Type I (THC-only), and one Type III (CBD-only). Results: The achenes from the different chemotypes were clearly distinguishable. No significant differences between varieties from the same chemotype were observed. The varieties with high THC concentration (Type I) were rounded and bigger, whereas achene from varieties containing only CBD (Type III) had a slender shape with smaller size. Conclusion: Achene shape variation is a potential biomarker of cannabinoid content in the plant flowers. Further studies are needed to confirm the suitability of GM methods for high-throughput screening of Cannabis cultivars, including larger diversity of varieties, and taking into account growth conditions, which can also influence plant chemical fingerprint.
Introduction: Cannabis plant uses are widespread across human cultures. The current tendency is to classify Cannabis varieties into chemovars upon their chemical fingerprint, mainly cannabinoids and terpenoids content. The identification of chemovars has important medical implications; however, their pharmacological characterization is costly and time consuming. The goal of this study was to assess whether achene shape variation could be related to Cannabis varieties with contrasting cannabinoid concentrations, as a first approach to chemovar identification. Methods: We used two-dimensional geometric morphometrics (GM) of the achenes and multivariate statistical analysis. We used achenes from five varieties, two from Type II chemotype (expressing both tetrahydrocannabinol [THC] and cannabidiol [CBD]), two Type I (THC-only), and one Type III (CBD-only). Results: The achenes from the different chemotypes were clearly distinguishable. No significant differences between varieties from the same chemotype were observed. The varieties with high THC concentration (Type I) were rounded and bigger, whereas achene from varieties containing only CBD (Type III) had a slender shape with smaller size. Conclusion: Achene shape variation is a potential biomarker of cannabinoid content in the plant flowers. Further studies are needed to confirm the suitability of GM methods for high-throughput screening of Cannabis cultivars, including larger diversity of varieties, and taking into account growth conditions, which can also influence plant chemical fingerprint.
Authors: Maria de la Paz Pollicelli; Yanina L Idaszkin; Rolando Gonzalez-José; Federico Márquez Journal: Ecotoxicol Environ Saf Date: 2018-08-08 Impact factor: 6.291