Cannabigerolic_acid
Cannabigerolic acid
Chemical compound
Cannabigerolic acid (CBGA) is the acidic form of cannabigerol (CBG). It is a dihydroxybenzoic acid and olivetolic acid in which the hydrogen at position 3 is substituted by a geranyl group. It is a biosynthetic precursor to Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, which is the principal psychoactive constituent of the Cannabis plant. It is also a meroterpenoid (i.e. a polyketide and a terpenoid), a member of resorcinols and a phytocannabinoid. It derives from an olivetolic acid. It is a conjugate acid of a cannabigerolate.[1]
In the Cannabis plant, olivetolic acid and geranyl diphosphate are synthesized into CBGA.[2]: 6 [3]: 17 CBGA is converted in the plant by CBCA synthase, CBDA synthase and THCA synthase into CBCA, CBDA and THCA respectively.[2]: 6–7 Afterwards, THCA and CBDA can be decarboxylated into THC and CBD by drying and heating plant material. CBGA has emerging pharmacological properties; for example, it had anticonvulsant effects in a mouse model of Dravet syndrome, a form of epilepsy.[4]