DELTA-9-TETRAHYDROCANNABINOL UPTAKE BY ADIPOSE-TISSUE - PREFERENTIAL ACCUMULATION IN GONADAL FAT ORGANS

1. Single doses of an aqueous suspension of [14C]-Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC) were administered by intraperitoneal injection to groups of male and female CBA strain mice. 2. Experimental groups were sacrificed from 2 min to 6 hr following injection, and levels of Δ9-THC and its more polar metabolites determined in several tissues. 3. High levels of Δ9-THC were found in several fat bodies, along with liver and lung. Moreover, there was a large difference in the levels of cannabinoid accumulation in the fat organs studied, with significantly higher concentrations as well as absolute amounts of cannabinoid being found in gonadal fat. 4. The high Δ9-THC concentrations persisted in fat over several hours without significant metabolism, while in liver, lung and several other tissues, the level of Δ9-THC declined as substantial metabolism occurred during the same period. 5. The relative levels of cannabinoid found in various tissues were also examined after intravenous administration of the drug and a differential uptake of Δ9-THC and its metabolites by gonadal fat was again observed. © 1979.