MOLECULE

Cannabigerol

Cannabigerol or CBG is the decarboxylated derivative of cannabigerolic acid, a phytocannabinoid that belongs to the class of organic compounds known as hydroxybenzoic acid derivatives. CBG is a resorcinol, due to the meta arrangement of its two hydroxyl groups on the benzene ring. It is biosynthetically derived from olivetolic acid on which the hydrogen at position 3 is substituted by a geranyl group. It is a molecule of mixed biosynthetic origin, in which its aromatic moiety (derived from olivetolic acid) occurs through the polyketide biosynthetic pathway while the prenylated sidechain derives from the MEP pathway of the terpenoids (DOI: 10.1016/B978-0-12-800756-3.00002-8). Thus, cannabigerol can be considered a polyketide, a monoterpenoid and a resorcinol. Cannabigerolic acid is a key biosynthetic precursor of Delta (9)-tetrahydrocannabinol, the main psychoactive component of Cannabis sativa. CBG is a minor constituent of cannabis (approximately 1% of dry weight). During growth, most of the CBG present in the plant‚Äôs tissues is converted into other cannabinoids, primarily tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) or cannabidiol (CBD) (PMID: 26836472). In contrast to THC (PMID 28120232), CBG antagonizes cannabinoid receptor type 1 (CB1) receptors and is both an alpha2-adrenoceptor agonist and moderate serotonin Type 1A (5HT1A) receptor antagonist (PMID: 20002104).  Cannabigerol has binding affinity for both CB1 and cannabinoid receptor type 2 (CB2). CBG is being investigated as a possible treatment for inflammatory diseases, such as colitis (PMID: 29562280).