Mass Spectrometry-Based Metabolomics of Phytocannabinoids from Non-Cannabis Plant Origins

Abstract

Phytocannabinoids are isoprenylated resorcinyl polyketides produced mostly in glandular trichomes of Cannabis sativa L. These discoveries led to the identification of cannabinoid recep-tors, which modulate psychotropic and pharmacological reactions and are found primarily in the human central nervous system. As a result of the biogenetic process, aliphatic ketide phytocanna-binoids are exclusively found in the cannabis species and have a limited natural distribution, whereas phenethyl-type phytocannabinoids are present in higher plants, liverworts, and fungi. The development of cannabinomics has uncovered evidence of new sources containing various phyto-cannabinoid derivatives. Phytocannabinoids have been isolated as artifacts from their carboxylated forms (pre-cannabinoids or acidic cannabinoids) from plant sources. In this review, the overview of the phytocannabinoid biosynthesis is presented. Different non-cannabis plant sources are described either from those belonging to the angiosperm species and bryophytes, together with their metab-olomic structures. Lastly, we discuss the legal framework for the ingestion of these biological materials which currently receive the attention as a legal high.