Cannabinoids and Terpenes as an Antibacterial and Antibiofouling Promotor for PES Water Filtration Membranes

Abstract

Plant phytochemicals have potential decontaminating properties, however, their role in the amelioration of hydrophobic water filtration membranes have not been elucidated yet. In this work, phytochemicals (i.e., cannabinoids (C) and terpenes (T) from C. sativa) were revealed for their antibacterial activity against different Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. As such, a synergistic relationship was observed between the two against all strains. These phytochemicals individually and in combination were used to prepare polyethersulfone (PES) hybrid membranes. Membrane characterizations were carried out using scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Moreover, contact angle, water retention, surface roughness, mechanical testing, and X-ray florescence analysis were also carried out. According to results, the CT-PES hybrid membrane exhibited the lowest contact angle (40°), the highest water retention (70%), and smallest average pore size (0.04 µm). The hybrid membrane also exhibited improved water flux with no surface leaching. Quantitative bacterial decline analysis of the CT-PES hybrid membranes confirmed an effective antibacterial performance against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. The results of this study established cannabinoids and terpenes as an inexpensive solution for PES membrane surface modification. These hybrid membranes can be easily deployed at an industrial scale for water filtration purposes.

The Antimicrobial Activity of Cannabinoids

“…Similar results were reported for several other species, including for Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli. This study represents a cost-effective solution for water filtration and antibacterial purification [58]. All these examples highlight the great potential of C. sativa and its antimicrobial properties for applications in food, agriculture and drug discovery.…”

Pinturas antiincrustantes derivadas de plantas terrestres una solución segura para el ambiente en el control de la bioincrustación

“…Entre los resultados obtenidos en los artículos, se identifican bacterias (microfouling) e invertebrados (macrofouling) como organismos objetivos para la inhibición. El 24% de los resultados antiincrustantes satisfactorios se centraron en el microfouling (Xu, et al, 2005;Qian, et al, 2010;Salta, et al, 2013;Pérez, et al, 2014;Nandhini y Revathi, 2016;Moodie, et al, 2018;Agostini, et al, 2019;Nadir, et al, 2020), el 61% en el macrofouling (Takasawa, et al, 1990;Etoh, et al, 2002;Stupak, et al, 2003;Goransson, et al, 2004;Angarano, et al, 2007;Pérez, et al, 2007;Feng, et al, 2009;Zhou, et al, 2009;Qian, et al, 2010;Bellotti, et al, 2014;Cui, et al, 2014;Huang, et al, 2014;Pérez, et al, 2014;Bogdan, et al, 2018;Feng, et al, 2018;Clasen y Kesel, 2019), y el 14% en ambas comunidades. En el Anexo 2 se presenta la lista de organismos inhibidos por la acción de extractos, compuestos o moléculas derivadas de plantas terrestres.…”

Antimicrobial and Antiviral (SARS-CoV-2) Potential of Cannabinoids and Cannabis sativa: A Comprehensive Review

“…Notably, the level of sensitivity of the extracts in qualitative tests is not equipollent since their polarity and solubility change their diffusivity through media [ 69 , 70 ]. However, in many other investigations, the activity of C. sativa was shown against P. aeruginosa [ 62 , 71 , 72 , 73 , 74 , 75 ], E. coli [ 62 , 67 , 68 , 72 , 76 , 77 , 78 , 79 , 80 , 81 , 82 ], Salmonella species [ 76 , 80 , 83 , 84 ], Shigella species [ 76 , 82 ], K. pneumoniae [ 82 ], Acinetobacter calcoaceticus [ 79 ], Morganella morganii [ 62 ] and Serratia marcescens [ 84 ].…”

“…Moreover, a considerable number of diffusion tests showed medium to higher activity against S. aureus [ 67 , 68 , 71 , 74 , 76 , 77 , 79 , 82 , 84 , 105 , 106 ], B. subtilis [ 67 , 79 , 80 , 82 , 84 , 105 ], Bacillus cereus [ 77 , 80 , 84 ], Bacillus pumilus [ 105 ], E. faecalis [ 77 , 83 , 84 , 107 ], Micrococcus flavus [ 105 ], M. luteus [ 79 , 84 ], Brevibacterium linens , Brochothrix thermosphacta [ 79 ] and Methicillin-resistant coagulase-negative Staphylococci (MRCoNS) [ 56 ]. The findings indicate that C. sativa can be targeted as a natural source for developing antibacterial drugs.…”

“…This strongly suggests that synergism occurs in EOs, which causes enhanced penetration of active molecules into the bacterial cells [ 94 ]. A combination of cannabinoids to terpenes at a 5:1 ratio resulted in a maximum zone of inhibitions against Gram-positive and negative bacteria [ 77 ]. Efficacy was reported to increase for cannabis-dominated ginger extracts [ 126 ].…”