UCLA Scientists Develop New And Safer Method Enabling Production Of More Potent HHC Products

The legalization of hemp on the federal level in 2018 opened up a wide range of opportunities for the industry. This led to the increased exploitation of cannabinoids that could be derived from legal hemp, such as delta-8 THC and HHC.

In a way, the 2018 Farm Bill, created a loophole for psychoactive compounds, other than THC, to reach the market. But, what do we know about these compounds?

“The compounds have been tested in animals before, but the basic binding assays of each isomer were somehow not done or not reported,” said Neil Garg, UCLA’s Kenneth N. Trueblood Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, a UCLA distinguished professor and the paper’s senior author. “That is unusual for a product that’s widely available to consumers, and it reflects the need for more fundamental research in this rapidly evolving field.” 

A new study conducted by Garg and his colleagues reveals more information about hexahydrocannabinols or HHCs. Earlier this year, Garg and UCLA researchers received a $2 million grant from the California Department of Cannabis Control to research new cannabinoids. 

The focus of this research was to discover how well HHCs bind to receptors in the human body. It also describes a new method for synthesizing the more biologically active HHC isomer. 

First things first, what is HHC? 

Chemically known as 11-Nor-9β-hydroxyhexahydrocannabinol, HHC is a semi-synthetic cannabinoid and a hydrogenated form of THC. It was first manufactured in 1944 by the American chemist Roger Adams. To produce HHC, Adams added hydrogen molecules to delta-9 THC, converting it to tetrahydrocannabinol (HHC). While Adams used THC from cannabis, today’s chemists are using legal THC from hemp as a way of bypassing the law and offering psychoactive products to buyers.

According to the European Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA), HHC emerged in late 2021 in the U.S. and gained popularity in Europe in 2022. Apart from bypassing the law, is there a problem with HHC? 

Joëlle Micallef, a pharmacology professor recently said that consumers should beware. “Synthetic drugs always have much greater clinical effects in humans than the molecule itself," Micallef said in a French radio interview reported by Euro News Next.

This April, EMCDD released a report warning consumers of the risks of highly concentrated HHC. 

See Also: Efforts To Ban Semi-Synthetic 'Legal' Cannabis Growing Across Europe

The study points out that even though some believe that HHCs products are legal under federal law, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency still considers them illegal. 

Courtesy photo

HHC Study Key Highlights 

HHC products sold today usually consist of a combination of two different isomers of the HHC molecule. This study revealed that even though both isomers bind to the same cannabinoid receptors in the body as THC does, only one of the isomers binds as well as THC does. This discovery points out that only one HHC isomer would offer effects similar to THC. 

Using a standard method to synthesize HHC from THC called catalytic hydrogenation yields both isomers of HHC in variable ratios, this means that there’s little consistency in the amount of each HHC isomer in the product. This results in products that vary not only from one brand to another but also among batches manufactured by the same company.

Furthermore, some HHC products end up containing a small amount of the more biologically active isomer.

Garg, together with UCLA assistant adjunct professor of chemistry Daniel Nasrallah developed a method that relies on a chemical process called hydrogen atom transfer, which is said to produce 10 more of the biologically active isomer than the less active one. The authors also note that this method is safer. 

Garg stressed that studies like this are necessary to establish laws and policies that are fair and secure consumer safety, “while allowing scientists and society alike to explore the potential therapeutical effects of new cannabinoids,” he said.

Photo: Benzinga edit with images from Wikimedia Commons and 2H Media on Unsplash