Ricerc@Sapienza

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.