Biological activities in supercritical CO₂-extracted cannabis: Comparison with conventional extraction method

This study evaluates the extraction yields, cannabinoid profiles, and physiological effects of Cannabis sativa L. (Purple 52) using three methods: supercritical CO₂ (scCO₂), Soxhlet, and maceration . Validated high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis confirmed cannabidiol (CBD) and cannabidiolic acid (CBDa) as the dominant cannabinoids in hemp extracts, and decarboxylation of hemp samples at 140℃ for 1 hour achieved a CBD to CBD+CBDa ratio of over 99 %. The scCO₂ method with ethanol as a co-solvent demonstrated the highest CBD yield, yielding 37.1 % higher CBD content compared to neat scCO₂ extraction. Physiological assessments revealed scCO₂ extracts had superior antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities, with the highest 2,2′-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity and flavonoid content. Furthermore, scCO₂ extracts significantly suppressed interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced RAW 264.7 cells, demonstrating potent anti-inflammatory effects. • Ethanol-modified scCO₂ extraction achieved optimal extraction efficiency (+37.1 %). • HPLC validated CBD/CBDA predominance (LOD: 1.0–3.1 μg/mL; R²: 0.9986–0.9999). • scCO₂ extracts exhibited superior DPPH radical scavenging and flavonoid content. • scCO₂ extracts significantly attenuated pro-inflammatory cytokines in vitro.