Chromatographic Analyses, In Vitro Biological Activities, and Cytotoxicity of Cannabis sativa L. Essential Oil: A Multidisciplinary Study

Abstract

Due to renewed interest in the cultivation and production of Italian Cannabis sativa L., we proposed a multi-methodological approach to explore chemically and biologically both the essential oil and the aromatic water of this plant. We reported the chemical composition in terms of cannabinoid content, volatile component, phenolic and flavonoid pattern, and color characteristics. Then, we demonstrated the ethnopharmacological relevance of this plant cultivated in Italy as a source of antioxidant compounds toward a large panel of enzymes (pancreatic lipase, α-amylase, α-glucosidase, and cholinesterases) and selected clinically relevant, multidrug-sensible, and multidrug-resistant microbial strains (Staphylococcus aureus, Helicobacter pylori, Candida, and Malassezia spp.), evaluating the cytotoxic effects against normal and malignant cell lines. Preliminary in vivo cytotoxicity was also performed on Galleria mellonella larvae. The results corroborate the use of this natural product as a rich source of important biologically active molecules with particular emphasis on the role exerted by naringenin, one of the most important secondary metabolites.

Influence of Altitude on Phytochemical Composition of Hemp Inflorescence: A Metabolomic Approach

“…Since the Kompolti chemovar belongs to the fiber-type hemp, it is not surprising that CBDA was the most abundant phytocannabinoid with significantly higher concentration in the mountain than in the plains. Those values (both for M and P group) are higher than those recently reported by [32,33]. The THC and THCA content were below legal limits, but the occurrence of traces of CBNA -THCA's non-enzymatic, oxidative product-should be taken into consideration when so-called "total THC" amount is concerned.…”

Promising in vitro antioxidant, anti‐acetylcholinesterase and neuroactive effects of essential oil from two non‐psychotropic Cannabis sativa L. biotypes

“…On the contrary, Zengin et al () showed that the most abundant components of C. sativa L. cv. Futura 75 EO belong to the class of sesquiterpenes and sesquiterpenoids (28% β‐caryophyllene, 4% trans‐bergamotene, 13% α‐caryophyllene, 7% α‐ and β‐selinene and 15% caryophyllene oxide) representing about 67% of the total composition.…”

“…Actually, the C. sativa EOs are poor investigated and only two works are currently available about the acetylcolinestrase activity of hemp varieties. However, authors, which investigated, in both cases, the fibre hemp Futura 75, described no activity (Zengin et al, ) or only a moderate inhibition of the acetylcholinesterase (Benelli et al, ). However, a very different phytochemical profile was observed in both cases with respect to the C. sativa biotype EOs investigated in the present work.…”

Cannabis sativa L. Inflorescences from Monoecious Cultivars Grown in Central Italy: An Untargeted Chemical Characterization from Early Flowering to Ripening

“…It is important to note that naringenin, naringin, catechin and epicatechin have been found as the most abundant components in another monoecious Futura 75 cultivar recently analyzed with the same chromatographic method [32]. Moreover, differences in phenolic composition have been observed in the case of inflorescences dried extracts from other cultivars such as Futura 75, Kc virtus, Carmagnola Cs and Villanova [33].…”