Cannabis sativa L. from Seized Drug Material: In Vitro Germination and Establishment.

Background: With the expansion of the cannabis-derived product market, there is a growing need for seedling development to produce raw material for pharmaceutical applications and medicinal research. However, cannabis cultivation is illegal in many countries, and legal producers do not sell cannabis seeds in these countries. In Brazil, cannabis is still illegal, and the only way to obtain access to cannabis plants for research or as medicine is through importation, which is costly and requires authorization from the National Health Surveillance Agency (ANVISA), or from material seized by the police from drug trafficking. Methods: Therefore, since cannabis seeds obtained from drug trafficking have never been tested regarding their viability and use in in vitro cultivation, the aim of this study was to analyze the in vitro establishment of cannabis from seeds derived from Brazilian drug trafficking seizures that were provided by the police to investigate seed disinfestation procedures and further multiplication of nodal segments, with the purpose of obtaining material for medicinal research in the country. Seeds were subjected to four disinfestation treatments. Results: The best disinfestation treatment consisted in submerging the seeds in a 2 g·L-1 Captan® solution for 30 min before following the standard procedure with 70% ethanol for 30 sec and then 20 min in 2.5% sodium hypochlorite. The in vitro establishment of cannabis from seeds originating from Brazilian drug trafficking seizures was successful. The germination rate ranged from 10% to 90% according to the sample material. Non-brick weed, which consisted of dry leaves, stalks, and flowers, was more suitable for seed extraction and germination. Clones originating from BW4b showed the best development results compared with others. Conclusions: This is the first report of in vitro cannabis use in Brazil and opens great prospects for future work on its cultivation and research for medicinal applications in the country without relying on seed importation.

Validation of analytical method of cannabinoids: Novel approach using turbo-extraction.

The development of simple, efficient, and low-cost analytical methods is essential for the evaluation and monitoring of the main cannabinoids in Cannabis-based products. In this sense, the objectives of this study were to develop and validate an analytical method for obtaining and determining cannabinoids in a pool sample. Two extraction techniques were used, ultrasound and turbo-extraction, and two system-solvents, methanol:chloroform (9:1 v:v) and ethanol. The analytical method used and validated was carried out in High Performance Liquid Chromatography with Diodes Array Detector. The cannabidiol standard was characterized by a nuclear magnetic resonance. The use of the proposed method makes it possible to identify cannabinoids, both in the acid form and in the neutral form, in 7 min of analysis. The results confirmed high precision and accuracy. The detection and quantification limits were 0.19 µg/mL and 5 µg/mL, respectively. The method developed proved to be selective and robust for the evaluation of cannabinoids. It is hoped that the methods developed can be used to obtain and analyze cannabinoids, both for medicinal purposes and for forensic analysis.

Effects of Risperidone in Autistic Children and Young Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

There are several studies investigating the effects of risperidone on autism, but many of these studies are contradictory or inconclusive. This systematic review and meta-analysis investigated the effects of risperidone on five domains of the Aberrant Behaviour Checklist (ABC) scale on Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), as well as weight gain and waist circumference. The protocol for the present systematic review and meta-analysis was registered on the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO). For this study, we analysed articles (2,459), selecting them according to the PICOS strategy (Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome, Study design). Although risperidone is effective for the treatment of lethargy and inadequate speech, concerns about the association between weight gain, waist circumference and risperidone require a need for evaluation of the risk-benefit ratio in its use. There was a significant association between weight gain, waist circumference and risperidone. In conclusion, it was possible to suggest the efficacy of risperidone for the treatment of lethargy and inadequate speech. Finally, we emphasize that the risk-benefit in its use should be evaluated (Protocol number CRD42019122316).

Validated spectrophotometric method for quantification of total triterpenes in plant matrices.

BACKGROUND: Triterpenes are ubiquitous secondary metabolites present in plants. They can be found in both forms, as genins or conjugated as glycosides. Although distinct analytical methods to quantify these compounds in vegetal tissues are available in the literature, limitations like high cost, complexity on sample preparation, and selectivity are often challenging issues. This study aimed to develop and to validate a simple and rapid spectrophotometric method to detect and quantify total triterpenes in plant matrices. METHODS: The assay was conducted directly into glass tubes using vanillin, acetic acid, and sulphuric acid as reagents, and ß-sitosterol as reference standard. The samples were analyzed at 548 nm assessing the quality parameters of selectivity, linearity, precision, accuracy, limit of detection (LOD), limit of quantification (LOQ), and robustness. RESULTS: The method was selective, with precision and accuracy varying from 0.56% to 4.98% and 96.63% to 113.87%, respectively. The values of the limit of detection and quantification were 0.042 µg.mL-1 and 0.14 µg.mL-1, correspondingly. The correlation coefficient (r) at the concentration range of 3.08 µg.mL-1to 24.61 µg.mL-1 was 0.9998. The total of triterpenes found in of B. holophylla and M. ilicifolia leaves were 132.36 ± 20.36 mg EßS.g-1 of dry extract and 53.91 ± 2.6 mg EßS.g-1 of dry extract, respectively. CONCLUSION: The method was reliable to quantify total triterpenes extracted from Maytenus ilicifolia and Bauhinia holophylla. Graphical abstract.