Cannabidiolic acid in Hemp Seed Oil Table Spoon and Beyond

The Effects of Adiponectin on the Behavior of B-Cell Leukemia Cells: Insights from an In Vitro Study

Background: Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), the most frequent hematological neoplasm worldwide, represents a heterogeneous group of malignancies. The etiology of NHL remains to be fully elucidated, but the role of adipose tissue (AT) in immune function via the secretion of adipokines was recently recognized. Among adipokines, adiponectin has garnered attention for its beneficial properties. This study aimed to explore the in vitro effects of AdipoRon, an adiponectin agonist, on JVM-2, a lymphoblast cell line used as a representative disease model. Methods: JVM-2 cells were treated with different concentrations of AdipoRon to evaluate its effects on viability (via an MTT test), cell cycle distribution (via an FACS analysis), invasiveness (via a Matrigel assay) and colony-forming ability; protein expression was assessed via a real-time PCR (qPCR) and/or Western blotting (WB). Results: We found that the prolonged exposure of JVM-2 cells to AdipoRon led to a reduction in their viability due to a cytostatic effect. Additionally, AdipoRon stimulated both the formation of cell colonies and the expression of E-cadherin. Interestingly, the administration of AdipoRon increased the invasive potential of JVM-2 cells. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that adiponectin is involved in the regulation of different cellular processes of JVM-2 cells, supporting its potential association with a pro-tumorigenic phenotype and indicating that it might contribute to the increased aggressiveness and metastatic potential of B lymphoma cells. However, additional studies are required to fully understand the molecular mechanisms of adiponectin's actions on lymphoblasts and whether it may represent a marker of disease.

Adiponectin Alleviates Cell Injury due to Cerebrospinal Fluid from Multiple Sclerosis Patients by Inhibiting Oxidative Stress and Proinflammatory Response

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is the most common disabling neurological disease characterized by chronic inflammation and neuronal cell viability impairment. Based on previous studies reporting that adiponectin exhibits neuroprotective effects in some models of neurodegenerative diseases, we analyzed the effects of AdipoRon treatment, alone or in combination with the cerebrospinal fluid of patients with MS (MS-CSF), to verify whether this adipokine acts on the basal neuronal cellular processes. To this aim, SH-SY5Y and U-87 cells (models of neuronal and glial cells, respectively) were exposed to MS-CSF alone or in co-treatment with AdipoRon. The cell viability was determined via MTT assay, and the possible underlying mechanisms were investigated via the alterations of oxidative stress and inflammation. MTT assay confirmed that AdipoRon alone did not affect the viability of both cell lines; whereas, when used in combination with MS-CSF, it reduces MS-CSF inhibitory effects on the viability of both SH-SY5Y and U-87 cell lines. In addition, MS-CSF treatment causes an increase in pro-inflammatory cytokines, whereas it determines the reduction in anti-inflammatory IL-10. Interestingly, the co-administration of AdipoRon counteracts the MS-CSF-induced production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, whereas it determines an enhancement of IL-10. In conclusion, our data suggest that AdipoRon counteracts the cytotoxic effects induced by MS-CSF on SH-SY5Y and U-87 cell lines and that one of the potential molecular underlying mechanisms might occur via reduction in oxidative stress and inflammation. Further in vivo and in vitro studies are essential to confirm whether adiponectin could be a neuro-protectant candidate against neuronal cell injury.

8,9-Dihydrocannabidiol, an Alternative of Cannabidiol, Its Preparation, Antibacterial and Antioxidant Ability

Cannabidiol (CBD) from Cannabis sativa is used in cosmetics in North America due to its antibacterial and antioxidant properties, but has been prohibited in many countries except recently; so, finding a non-intoxicating CBD alternative and elucidating the structure−function relationship of CBD analogues is becoming increasingly relevant. Herein, a set of CBD analogues including 8,9-dihydrocannabidiol (H2CBD) was synthesized, and their antibacterial, bactericidal, and antioxidant activity, as well as their structure−function relationship, were studied. The results present a catalytic selectivity near 100% towards H2CBD with a production yield of 85%. Each CBD analogue presented different antibacterial and antioxidant activity. It is revealed that the phenolic hydroxyl moiety is an essential group for CBD analogues to perform antibacterial and antioxidant activities. Among them, H2CBD presented much stronger antibacterial activity than the assayed popular antibiotics. H2CBD and Compound 4 presented very similar radical scavenging activity and inhibition on lipid oxidation to vitamin C, but better thermostability. Moreover, H2CBD presented lower toxicity to human skin fibroblasts at concentrations up to 64-fold higher than its MIC value (1.25 μg/mL) against S. aureus. Above all, in all property experiments, H2CBD presented extremely similar performance to CBD (p < 0.05), including similar time−kill kinetics curves. This research finds H2CBD to be an alternative for CBD with very high potential in the aspects of antibacterial, bactericidal, and antioxidant activity, as well as lower toxicity to human skin fibroblasts.

Effect of Cannabidiolic Acid, N-Trans-Caffeoyltyramine and Cannabisin B from Hemp Seeds on microRNA Expression in Human Neural Cells

Given the increasing interest in bioactive dietary components that can modulate gene expression enhancing human health, three metabolites isolated from hemp seeds-cannabidiolic acid, N-trans-caffeoyltyramine, and cannabisin B-were examined for their ability to change the expression levels of microRNAs in human neural cells. To this end, cultured SH-SY5Y cells were treated with the three compounds and their microRNA content was characterized by next-generation small RNA sequencing. As a result, 31 microRNAs underwent major expression changes, being at least doubled or halved by the treatments. A computational analysis of the biological pathways affected by these microRNAs then showed that some are implicated in neural functions, such as axon guidance, hippocampal signaling, and neurotrophin signaling. Of these, miR-708-5p, miR-181a-5p, miR-190a-5p, miR-199a-5p, and miR-143-3p are known to be involved in Alzheimer's disease and their expression changes are expected to ameliorate neural function. Overall, these results provide new insights into the mechanism of action of hemp seed metabolites and encourage further studies to gain a better understanding of their biological effects on the central nervous system.

Minor Phytocannabinoids: A Misleading Name but a Promising Opportunity for Biomedical Research

Despite the very large number of phytocannabinoids isolated from Cannabis (Cannabis sativa L.), bioactivity studies have long remained focused on the so called “Big Four” [Δ⁹-THC (1), CBD (2), CBG (3) and CBC (4)] because of their earlier characterization and relatively easy availability via isolation and/or synthesis. Bioactivity information on the chemical space associated with the remaining part of the cannabinome, a set of ca 150 compounds traditionally referred to as “minor phytocannabinoids”, is scarce and patchy, yet promising in terms of pharmacological potential. According to their advancement stage, we sorted the bioactivity data available on these compounds, better referred to as the “dark cannabinome”, into categories: discovery (in vitro phenotypical and biochemical assays), preclinical (animal models), and clinical. Strategies to overcome the availability issues associated with minor phytocannabinoids are discussed, as well as the still unmet challenges facing their development as mainstream drugs.

Hemp Stem Epidermis and Cuticle: From Waste to Starter in Bio-Based Material Development

Nowadays, hemp farmers are facing an urgent problem related to plant stem disposal after seed harvesting. In this work, the commonly discarded epidermis and cuticle of hemp stems were valorized, turning them towards a sustainable recycling and reuse, contributing to the circular economy concept. Cellulose deprived of amorphous regions was obtained by a green process consisting of an ethanolic ultrasound-assisted maceration followed by mild bleaching/hydrolysis. The obtained hemp cellulose was esterified with citric acid resulting in a 1.2-fold higher crystallinity index and 34 °C lower T_g value compared to the non-functionalized hemp cellulose. Green innovative biocomposite films were developed by embedding the modified cellulose into PLA by means of an extrusion process. The structural and morphological characterization of the obtained biocomposites highlighted the functionalization and further embedment of cellulose into the PLA matrix. Attenuated Total Reflectance–Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) results suggested physical and chemical interactions between PLA and the organic filler in the biofilms, observing a homogeneous composition by Field Emission-Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM). Moreover, some increase in thermal stability was found for biocomposites added with 5%wt of the hemp cellulose filler. The obtained results highlighted the feasible recovery of cellulose from hemp stem parts of disposal concern, adding value to this agro-waste, and its potential application for the development of novel biocomposite films to be used in different applications.