Optimization of Extraction of Cannabinoids and Flavonoids Substances from Influence Cannabis sp. and their Biological Activities before and after Decarboxylation

Abstract

Inflorescence of eight different varieties of Cannabis sp. (3 hemp varieties and 5 medical cannabis varieties) were subjected to extraction with n-hexane or ethanol as representatives of non-polar and polar solvents. Crude extracts were either used directly or after decarboxylation of cannabis acids for measurement of selected biological activities - cytotoxicity against carcinogenic line B16 (musculus skin melanoma cells), cytotoxicity against Human Dermal Fibroblast (HDF) as a control non-carcinogenic line, antimicrobial activity against Candida albicans (DBM, 2186), Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC, 25923) and Salmonella enterica (CCM, 4420) and antioxidant activity using the ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) assay. 32 samples with a different profile of cannabinoids measured by HLPC were thus obtained and evaluated. The content of total flavonoids that could exert synergic action on bioactivity was measured by the spectrophotometric method. The hexane extracts showed higher antimicrobial activity, decarboxylation of the samples led to an increase in cytotoxicity against the human skin fibroblast line in most of the studied samples, and to decrease in the antioxidant effects of the decarboxylated extracts. The obtained findings suggest a therapeutic potential of the selected cannabis extracts in the treatment of skin cancer, skin wounds, or surgical wound healing.