Abstract

Abstract

Cannabis has been integral to Eurasian civilization for millennia, but a century of prohibition has limited investigation. With spreading legalization, science is pivoting to study the pharmacopeia of the cannabinoids, and a thorough understanding of their biosynthesis is required to engineer strains with specific cannabinoid profiles. This review surveys the biosynthesis and biochemistry of cannabinoids. The pathways and the enzymes’ mechanisms of action are discussed as is the non-enzymatic decarboxylation of the cannabinoic acids. There are still many gaps in our knowledge about the biosynthesis of the cannabinoids, especially for the minor components, and this review highlights the tools and approaches that will be applied to generate an improved understanding and consequent access to these potentially biomedically-relevant materials.

Details

Title
The biosynthesis of the cannabinoids
Author
M. Nazir Tahir; Shahbazi, Fred; Rondeau-Gagné, Simon; Trant, John F  VIAFID ORCID Logo 
Pages
1-12
Section
Review
Publication year
2021
Publication date
2021
Publisher
Springer Nature B.V.
e-ISSN
25225782
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s42238-021-00062-4
ProQuest document ID
2546374636
Copyright
© 2021. This work is licensed under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.