Natural Products and Bioprospecting (Jun 2023)

Effects of combined cannabidiol (CBD) and hops (Humulus lupulus) terpene extract treatment on RAW 264.7 macrophage viability and inflammatory markers

  • Inga Dammann,
  • Claudia Keil,
  • Iris Hardewig,
  • Elżbieta Skrzydlewska,
  • Michał Biernacki,
  • Hajo Haase

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s13659-023-00382-3
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 13, no. 1
pp. 1 – 14

Abstract

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Abstract This study investigates the potential of cannabidiol (CBD), one major cannabinoid of the plant Cannabis sativa, alone and in combination with a terpene-enriched extract from Humulus lupulus (“Hops 1”), on the LPS-response of RAW 264.7 macrophages as an established in vitro model of inflammation. With the present study, we could support earlier findings of the anti-inflammatory potential of CBD, which showed a dose-dependent [0–5 µM] reduction in nitric oxide and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) released by LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages. Moreover, we observed an additive anti-inflammatory effect after combined CBD [5 µM] and hops extract [40 µg/mL] treatment. The combination of CBD and Hops 1 showed effects in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells superior to the single substance treatments and akin to the control hydrocortisone. Furthermore, cellular CBD uptake increased dose-dependently in the presence of terpenes from Hops 1 extract. The anti-inflammatory effect of CBD and its cellular uptake positively correlated with terpene concentration, as indicated by comparison with a hemp extract containing both CBD and terpenes. These findings may contribute to the postulations for the so-called “entourage effect” between cannabinoids and terpenes and support the potential of CBD combined with phytomolecules from a non-cannabinoid source, such as hops, for the treatment of inflammatory diseases.

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