Cannabinoids from inflorescences fractions of Trema orientalis (L.) Blume (Cannabaceae) against human pathogenic bacteria

Tiwtawat Napiroon; Keerati Tanruean; Pisit Poolprasert; Markus Bacher; Henrik Balslev; Manop Poopath; Wichai Santimaleeworagun

doi:10.7717/peerj.11446

PeerJ (May 2021)

Cannabinoids from inflorescences fractions of Trema orientalis (L.) Blume (Cannabaceae) against human pathogenic bacteria

Tiwtawat Napiroon,
Keerati Tanruean,
Pisit Poolprasert,
Markus Bacher,
Henrik Balslev,
Manop Poopath,
Wichai Santimaleeworagun

Affiliations

Tiwtawat Napiroon: Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Science and Technology, Thammasat University, Pathum Thani, Thailand
Keerati Tanruean: Biology program, Faculty of Science and Technology, Pibulsongkram Rajabhat University, Phitsanulok, Thailand
Pisit Poolprasert: Biology program, Faculty of Science and Technology, Pibulsongkram Rajabhat University, Phitsanulok, Thailand
Markus Bacher: Institute of Chemistry of Renewable Resources, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna (BOKU), Tulln an der Donau, Austria
Henrik Balslev: Ecoinformatics Section, Department of Bioscience, Faculty of Science and Technology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
Manop Poopath: Department of National Parks Wildlife and Plant Conservation, The Forest Herbarium, Forest Botany Division, Bangkok, Thailand
Wichai Santimaleeworagun: Faculty of Pharmacy, Silpakorn University, Department of Pharmacy, Nakhon Pathom, Thailand

DOI: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.11446
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 9
p. e11446

Abstract

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Background Cannabinoids; tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), cannabidiol (CBD) and cannabinol (CBN), might show antibacterial activity. Trema orientalis is a species in the Cannabaceae that is closely related to Cannabis through plastome phylogenetic evidence. This species is widely distributed throughout tropical Asia and is used as traditional medicine, particularly for the treatment of infectious diseases. However, no studies on the antibacterial activity of cannabinoid-containing inflorescences extracts are available. Thus, the aim of this study was to determine cannabinoid content and antibacterial activity of inflorescences fractions from T. orientalis native to Thailand. Methods We hypothesized that inflorescences from T. orientalis might display cannabinoids similar to Cannabis because of their close taxonomic relationship. We extracted the mature inflorescences and infructescence of T. orientalis in three disparate populations from different Thailand floristic regions. Extractions were subsequently partitioned into hydrophilic and lipophilic fractions using distilled water and chloroform. The lipophilic extracts were further fractionated by the column chromatography with gradient elution and analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Characterized cannabinoids were used in bioassays with multidrug-resistance bacteria. Results Lipophilic extracts and fractions of inflorescences from all Thailand floristic regions consistently displayed cannabinoids (THC, CBD and CBN) in various quantities. These extracts exhibited inhibitory activity for Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Acinetobacter baumannii strains with minimum inhibitory concentration values varying from 31.25 to 125 µg/mL. Conclusion Our study is the first to report cannabinoid detection in extracts from inflorescences of T. orientalis, a species in the Cannabaceae. These extracts and their fractions containing cannabinoids showed pronounced antibacterial activity. The use of analytic methods also demonstrated reproducible cannabinoid extraction.

Published in PeerJ

ISSN: 2167-8359 (Online)
Publisher: PeerJ Inc.
Country of publisher: United States
LCC subjects: Medicine; Science: Biology (General)
Website: https://peerj.com/

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