Researchers from the University of Chemistry and Technology Prague and the Institute for Clinical and Experimental Medicine have found that cannabidiolic acid (CBDA) has far stronger bioavailability than cannabidiol (CBD), making it a potentially underutilized therapeutic compound.
The study, which is being published in the November 2025 issue of the International Journal of Pharmaceutics, tested the absorption of 10 cannabinoids and cannabinoid acids using Caco-2 cell models as well as in vivo mouse studies. When comparing CBD and CBDA, researchers discovered CBDA concentrations in mouse plasma were about two orders of magnitude higher than those of CBD under the same dosing conditions.
The findings also showed cannabinoid acids in general had much better permeability in cell-based models compared to their neutral counterparts. To test whether formulations could improve absorption, CBD and CBDA were encapsulated in nanomicelles, which further increased their bioavailability.
These results highlight CBDA as a compound with strong potential for pharmaceutical development, particularly given its selective inhibition of COX-2, which suggests stronger anti-inflammatory effects than CBD. Despite its promise, CBDA has historically received little attention due to its chemical instability and limited standardization in consumer products.
The researchers conclude that CBDA may represent a more efficient option than CBD for certain therapeutic uses and warrants deeper exploration in both preclinical and clinical settings.
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