Cannabinoid extract in microdoses ameliorates mnemonic and nonmnemonic Alzheimer's disease symptoms: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Cannabinoid-based therapy has been shown to be promising and is emerging as crucial for the treatment of cognitive deficits, mental illnesses, and many diseases considered incurable. There is a need to find an appropriate therapy for Alzheimer's disease, and cannabinoid-based therapy appears to be a feasible possibility. CASE PRESENTATION: This report addresses the beneficial effect of cannabinoids in microdoses on improving memory and brain functions of a patient with mild-stage Alzheimer's disease. The patient is a 75-year-old white man presenting with main symptoms of memory deficit, spatial and temporal disorientation, and limited daily activity. The experimental therapeutic intervention was carried out for 22 months with microdoses of a cannabis extract containing cannabinoids. Clinical evaluations using Mini-Mental State Examination and Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale-Cognitive Subscale were performed. CONCLUSIONS: Here we provide original evidence that cannabinoid microdosing could be effective as an Alzheimer's disease treatment while preventing major side effects. This is an important step toward dissociating cannabinoids' health-improving effects from potential narcotic-related limitations.

Chemical composition of essential oils of selected species of Piper and their insecticidal activity against Drosophila suzukii and Trichopria anastrephae.

The present study aimed to analyze the chemical composition of five species of the genus Piper (P. aduncum L.; P. crassinervium Kunth.; P. malacophyllum Prels.; P. gaudichaudianum Kunth.; P. marginatum L.), and assess their toxicity to the adults of Drosophila suzukii (Diptera: Drosophilidae) and the pupal parasitoid Trichopria anastrephae Lima (Hymenoptera: Diapriidae). The major compounds were monoterpene hydrocarbons (5.3-60.9%); oxygenated monoterpenes (13.3%); sesquiterpenes hydrocarbons (8.3-45.3%), oxygenated sesquiterpenes (5.2-58.8%); and arylpropanoids (15.2-29.6%). In bioassays of ingestion and topical application, essential oils (EOs) from P. aduncum, P. gaudichaudianum, and P. marginatum killed approximately 100% of adults of D. suzukii, similarly to the insecticide based on spinetoram (75 mg L-1) (96.2% of mortality). Besides, the dry residues from P. aduncum, P. gaudichaudianum, and P. marginatum provided a repellent effect on oviposition (≅ 7 eggs/fruits) and negative effects on egg viability (≅ 2 larvae/fruits) of D. suzukii on artificial fruits. Based on the estimate of the lethal concentration required to kill 90% of exposed flies, EOs from P. aduncum, P. crassinervium, P. gaudichaudianum, P. malacophyllum, and P. marginatum provided low toxicity to the parasitoid T. anastrephae in a bioassay of ingestion and topical application (mortality < 20%), similarly to the water treatment (≅ 5% of mortality). EOs of Piper species tested in this work showed to be promising plant insecticides for the management of D. suzukii.

Chemical identification and antimicrobial potential of essential oil of Piper rivinoides kunth (BETIS-WHITE).

The family Piperaceae is known for presenting in its species flavoring, healing and antimicrobial properties among others. The objective of the present study was: to study the chemical profile of the essential oil of Piper rivinoides (EOPR); to analyze its anti-bacterial and antifungal potential, as well as to evaluate the antifungal and antibiotic-modifying capacity. The chemical constituents were identified by gas chromatography with flame ionization detector (GC-FID), allowing the identification of 7 constituents of a total of 86.99%. E-Isoelemicin was identified as the main constituent of petroleum (40.81%). Clinically relevant MIC results were obtained against fungi in which the inhibitory concentration remained <256 µg/mL, as for Candida albicans 4127 (217.6 µg/mL). The association of EOPR with an antifungal showed a high synergistic affinity against the strains of C. tropicalis 40042 and 4262. We concluded that no intrinsic EOPR activity was observed at any concentrations tested against bacteria. However, EOPR associated with Gentamicin acted synergistically against S. aureus 10 and Escherichia coli 06, but with Erythromycin there was a synergistic effect against Escherichia coli 06, and antagonism with norfloxacin.

Cytotoxic mechanism of Baccharis milleflora (Less.) DC. essential oil.

The aim of this study was to investigate the cytotoxic activity of the essential oil from cladodes of Bacharis milleflora in relation to Jurkat, Raji and HL-60 cells, as well as exploring the cell mechanisms in order to elucidate how the cytotoxic process occurs. The presence of the following volatile compounds was detected by GC-MS: bicyclogermacrene (12.16%), germacrene D (11.18%), (E)-caryophyllene (9.28%), and α-humulene (8.05%). In general, IC50 values lower than 50µg/mL were obtained for all the tumor cells at 24, 48 and 72h by MTT assay. The decrease in cell DNA content was demonstrated due to the inhibition of the proliferation of Jurkat, Raji and HL-60 cells by B. milleflora essential oil. In particular, Raji cells presented the greatest inhibition of cell proliferation and they were subsequently used to investigate cell death mechanisms. B. milleflora essential oil promoted G0/G1 arrest and also induced cell fragmentation, which was represented by an increase in the sub-G0 population, indicating cell death induced by apoptosis. The selectivity index was 3.97. Necrotic cell death, coupled with low levels of apoptotic cell death, was observed by conventional EB/AO and Hoechst 33342 staining assays, demonstrating that this essential oil acts via both necrotic and apoptotic mechanisms.