CBDP and THCP: What Do We Know About the Newly Discovered “Super-Potent” Cannabinoids?
At the end of last year, a group of Italian scientists led by Professor Giuseppe Cannazza from the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia discovered a cannabinoid that reportedly has a psychoactive effect 30 times more powerful and longer-lasting than THC. This compound, structurally related to the well-known cannabinoid, was named delta-9-tetrahydrocannabiphorol, or Δ9-THCP. Shortly after this discovery, the same research team identified a similar enhanced analog of CBD, which they named cannabidiphorol, or CBDP.
According to the original study analyzing the properties of these new compounds, practical experiments showed that THCP can directly interact with the CB1 and CB2 receptors in the body, producing effects similar to its “sibling” compound, but with one significant difference: compared to regular THC, the new molecule has a much stronger and longer-lasting effect on the receptors. More specifically, THCP’s level of neurological activity is 33 times higher than pure THC; in addition, the substance is 63 times more potent than THCV (tetrahydrocannabivarin) and about 13 times more effective than another recently discovered therapeutic cannabinoid called THCB (tetrahydrocannabutol). The new suffix “phorol” was borrowed from the compound sphaerophorol, another name for the chemical 5-heptyl-benzene-1,3-diol.
Discovery and Extraction of the New Cannabinoids
The new compounds were extracted from industrial hemp tissues during research aimed at finding rare and exotic cannabinoid compounds. These studies were formally sponsored by the Italian Ministry of Defense, which currently also regulates the production and distribution of therapeutic cannabis. For reference, the production of cannabis for scientific and medical purposes in Italy is handled by a military laboratory specializing in pharmaceutical and chemical agents near Florence, under the supervision of the special Committee for the Study and Development of Agricultural Technologies (CREA).
“In fact, we were able to isolate the new cannabinoids from plant tissues quite easily. Essentially, we found them so easily simply because it seems no one else had really tried to look for such compounds,” says Dr. Cannazza.
Both THCP and CBDP have structures very similar to standard cannabinoid compounds, namely THC and CBD, which may have allowed them to go unnoticed by scientists for so long. “Initially, we only discovered the THCP molecule, but one of our colleagues, Dr. Cinzia Citti, insisted on searching for a similar analog for CBD, logically assuming that, like some other cannabinoid compounds, the new substance might have a counterpart with an opposite biological function. Thanks to this, we were able to discover CBDP. In both cases, the substances were isolated from the industrial and therapeutic cannabis variety called FM2, which was specially bred by technicians at the Florence laboratory for mass production to meet the needs of Italy’s therapeutic market,” reports Dr. Cannazza.
Structural Differences and Potency
According to Cannazza, the main structural difference between the new compound and standard THC is a longer, seven-segment alkyl chain. “Thanks to the significantly longer alkyl chain, this cannabinoid is much more lipophilic, meaning it interacts more actively with fat compounds than standard THC, which is the key factor explaining its potency. Because of this chain, the substance is absorbed much faster into human tissues. Of course, these are only preliminary findings. The properties and mechanisms of action will be studied more thoroughly in future research,” notes Dr. Cannazza.
It’s also worth noting that, until now, doctors and scientists had only identified THC-like molecules in cannabis tissues with a maximum of five-segment alkyl chains, which may be another reason why this cannabinoid had previously escaped detection. It’s possible that the discovered compound is a unique, random mutation that appears only in certain cannabis varieties.
Effects and Potential Implications
Initial tests of the substance on mice showed that THCP has more pronounced effects typical of THC: the animals experienced a noticeable drop in blood pressure, reduced physical activity, and pain relief. Additionally, the substance caused catalepsy (a state of body paralysis with strong muscle rigidity) in some subjects. Considering these factors, Dr. Cannazza suggests that the presence of such molecules in certain cannabis strains may explain the significant differences in physiological and psychoactive properties among varieties with similar THC concentrations.
“It’s possible that the concentration or ratio between THCP and CBDP explains why some strains with relatively low THC content have much more noticeable psychoactive effects compared to other similar plants,” suggests Dr. Cannazza. “It’s also possible that a high concentration of THCP could explain the significant differences in the observed psychoactive effects of the plant.”
Future Research and Applications
In addition, scientists plan to trace the “molecular footprint” of the new compounds to understand how they are synthesized in cannabis tissues. Using a new technology called metabolomics, which analyzes the chemical traces left by different molecular compounds during natural metabolism and their combination with other substances, they have already begun a systematic analysis of all possible cellular processes in FM2 plants. The goal is to identify biological mechanisms that could help breed new types of cannabis that consistently generate higher concentrations of these unusual cannabinoids.
Finally, experiments and observations show that THCP has an increased psychoactive effect because the body’s CB1 and CB2 receptors are about 30 times more sensitive to this molecule than to regular THC. “So far, experiments with animals show that mammalian endocannabinoid receptors are much more sensitive to THCP and CBDP than to their simpler counterparts. However, it’s still difficult to say whether the substance will have a similar effect on human receptors,” notes Dr. Cannazza. “Although, in general, the receptors of different mammals work on the same principle, their overall sensitivity can vary greatly due to many biological factors.”
Looking Ahead: The Importance of the Discovery
Undoubtedly, the most important aspect of discovering these two new cannabinoids is the fact that they were literally hiding in plain sight. It’s possible that in the near future, with a bit more attention, scientists will be able to discover other microscopic components of cannabis with significant therapeutic and psychoactive effects.
“At the moment, we plan to continue studying the mechanisms of action of the new cannabinoids to better understand how such micro-compounds interact with THC and other substances in the plant tissues, and of course, their effects on the human endocannabinoid system,” says Dr. Cannazza. “Additionally, I’d like to point out that we should take a closer look at the properties of CBDP, which remains less studied than its counterpart.”
The Italian government was impressed by the team’s discovery and awarded them a grant of 300,000 euros to fund research for the next three years.