Food Effects on the Pharmacokinetics of Orally Administered Cannabinoids in Hispaniolan Amazon Parrots (Amazonia ventralis)

The primary objective of this study was to determine the pharmacokinetics of cannabidiol (CBD), cannabidiolic acid (CBDA), and Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) with and without the addition of a food slurry in the Hispaniolan Amazon parrot (Amazona ventralis). Twelve healthy adult parrots of both sexes weighing 0.260–0.323 kg (mean 0.289 kg) were enrolled. Six birds were administered a target dose of 28 mg/kg of CBD, 113 mg/kg of CBDA, and 2.7 mg/kg of THC via commercially available hemp oil solution that was administered orally into the crop via a syringe, followed by a slurry-formulated diet dosed at 15 mL/kg. The remaining 6 birds were administered 28 mg/kg of CBD in hemp oil solution PO without the addition of a food slurry. Serial blood samples were obtained at time points 0, 1, 2, 3, 6, 8, and 12 hours posttreatment in a balanced incomplete block design. Pharmacokinetic parameters were determined by noncompartmental analysis. Statistical analysis of pharmacokinetic parameters between groups was not possible due to the naïve pooled-data approach used. The areas under the concentration-time curve (AUC) were 444 and 514 h*ng/mL, maximum plasma concentrations (Cmax) were 63.3 and 64 ng/ mL, time to achieve Cmax (Tmax) were 4 and 2 hours, and the plasma half-life (t½) results were 7.17 and 3.34 hours for the fed and fasted groups, respectively, for CBD. No adverse effects were appreciated in any bird. The results indicated a slower rate of absorption of CBD compared with elimination for the fed group, suggesting that the addition of a food slurry may serve as an extended-release formulation for CBD. The apparent lack of differences between the AUC and Cmax between fed and fasted groups suggests that food does not increase the relative bioavailability of this hemp product in Hispaniolan Amazon parrots, but slows down the absorption time and extends the half-life.