HPLC Analyses of CBD Oral Formulation Content Recovery Under Simulated Biological Conditions
- 1Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Health Outcomes, Fisch College of Pharmacy, The University of Texas at Tyler, Tyler, TX 75799, USA
Abstract
Cannabidiol (CBD) is a non-psychoactive phytocannabinoid derived from Cannabis sativa that has gained widespread popularity for both medical and recreational uses. CBD in the form of an oral solution is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as Epidiolex for the treatment of certain seizure conditions, but CBD is also sold in numerous hemp-derived non-pharmaceutical products that are not approved by the FDA. Following the legalization of CBD products containing less than 0.3% tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the market has expanded rapidly, leading to the incorporation of CBD into oils, capsules, topical formulations, foods, beverages, and vaping products. However, unlike conventional FDA-approved pharmaceuticals, many over-the-counter CBD products are manufactured without standardized quality control measures, potentially resulting in variability in cannabinoid content and subsequently CBD bioavailability and biological effects. Here, we use in-house reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) for accurate and reproducible comparison of CBD recovery under organic-solvent extraction and simulated biological fluid from commercially available non-pharmaceutical CBD products. All five tested hemp products yielded CBD contents that fell within the expected range of the labeled amount when extracted using a methanol and isopropanol mixture. However, there was a wide range of variability in CBD recovery when the same products were extracted under identical conditions using simulated gastric, intestinal, or sublingual fluids. This study provides further evidence that standardized manufacturing practices to govern the processing and development of hemp-derived CBD products need to be developed to ensure adequate release of CBD into biological fluids, thereby increasing the potential for high CBD bioavailability and accurate dosing.
Related
- Effects of Probiotic Supplementation on Performance Retention During Detraining and Recovery After Simulated Return-to-Training Stress in College Volleyball Players: An Exploratory Randomized, Single-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial
- Suicide in People With Co‐occurring Substance Use and Mental Health Conditions: An Integrative Literature Review to Inform Risk Formulation in Mental Health Nursing
- Comparative evaluation of the antipyretic and analgesic efficacy and safety of a fast-release paracetamol 650 mg formulation vs. conventional paracetamol formulations in adults with acute febrile or febrile-pain conditions: a multicenter randomized controlled trial
- Ambient Temperature Preservation Supports Recovery of Beating Capacity in Human Cardiac Organoids After Exposure to Simulated Space Stressors
- Huachansu combined with chemotherapy for advanced gastrointestinal malignancies: a systematic review and meta-analysis with formulation-stratified analyses
BibTeX
@article{thompson2026hplc,
title = {{HPLC Analyses of CBD Oral Formulation Content Recovery Under Simulated Biological Conditions}},
author = {Sarah Thompson and Abdullah Alkarboly and Amal Al-Shweiky and Rahmat M. Talukder and Brittany L. Parmentier and Ayman K. Hamouda},
journal = {Biomolecules},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3390/biom16111565},
url = {https://www.mdpi.com/2218-273X/16/11/1565},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - HPLC Analyses of CBD Oral Formulation Content Recovery Under Simulated Biological Conditions
AU - Sarah Thompson
AU - Abdullah Alkarboly
AU - Amal Al-Shweiky
AU - Rahmat M. Talukder
AU - Brittany L. Parmentier
AU - Ayman K. Hamouda
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/27
JO - Biomolecules
DO - 10.3390/biom16111565
UR - https://www.mdpi.com/2218-273X/16/11/1565
AB - Cannabidiol (CBD) is a non-psychoactive phytocannabinoid derived from Cannabis sativa that has gained widespread popularity for both medical and recreational uses. CBD in the form of an oral solution is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as Epidiolex for the treatment of certain seizure conditions, but CBD is also sold in numerous hemp-derived non-pharmaceutical products that are not approved by the FDA. Following the legalization of CBD products containing less than 0.3% tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the market has expanded rapidly, leading to the incorporation of CBD into oils, capsules, topical formulations, foods, beverages, and vaping products. However, unlike conventional FDA-approved pharmaceuticals, many over-the-counter CBD products are manufactured without standardized quality control measures, potentially resulting in variability in cannabinoid content and subsequently CBD bioavailability and biological effects. Here, we use in-house reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) for accurate and reproducible comparison of CBD recovery under organic-solvent extraction and simulated biological fluid from commercially available non-pharmaceutical CBD products. All five tested hemp products yielded CBD contents that fell within the expected range of the labeled amount when extracted using a methanol and isopropanol mixture. However, there was a wide range of variability in CBD recovery when the same products were extracted under identical conditions using simulated gastric, intestinal, or sublingual fluids. This study provides further evidence that standardized manufacturing practices to govern the processing and development of hemp-derived CBD products need to be developed to ensure adequate release of CBD into biological fluids, thereby increasing the potential for high CBD bioavailability and accurate dosing.
SN - 2218-273X
ER -