THC hemisuccinate (Δ9-THC-O-hemisuccinate, Dronabinol hemisuccinate) is a synthetic derivative of tetrahydrocannabinol, developed in the 1990s. It is a water-soluble prodrugester which is converted into THC inside the body, and was developed to overcome the poor bioavailability of THC when taken by non-inhaled routes of administration.[1][2][3] In medical applications it has mainly been formulated as rectalsuppositories.[4][5][6]
^Elsohly MA, Little TL, Hikal A, Harland E, Stanford DF, Walker L (November 1991). "Rectal bioavailability of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol from various esters". Pharmacology, Biochemistry, and Behavior. 40 (3): 497–502. doi:10.1016/0091-3057(91)90353-4. PMID1666913. S2CID24650457.
^ElSohly MA, Stanford DF, Harland EC, Hikal AH, Walker LA, Little TL, et al. (October 1991). "Rectal bioavailability of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol from the hemisuccinate ester in monkeys". Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences. 80 (10): 942–5. doi:10.1002/jps.2600801008. PMID1664466.
^Walker LA, Harland EC, Best AM, ElSohly MA (1999). "Δ9-THC Hemisuccinate in Suppository Form as an Alternative to Oral and Smoked THC". In Nahas GG, Sutin KM, Harvey D, Agurell S, Pace N, Cancro RN (eds.). Marihuana and Medicine. Totowa, NJ: Humana Press. doi:10.1007/978-1-59259-710-9_13.
^Broom SL, Sufka KJ, Elsohly MA, Ross SA (2001). "Analgesic and Reinforcing Properties of Δ9-THC-Hemisuccinate in Adjuvant-Arthritic Rats". Journal of Cannabis Therapeutics. 1 (3–4): 171–182. doi:10.1300/J175v01n03_11.