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. 2023 Jun 28;15(13):2944.
doi: 10.3390/nu15132944.

Biochemical Changes Induced by the Administration of Cannabis sativa Seeds in Diabetic Wistar Rats

Camelia Munteanu  1 , Mihaela Mihai  2 , Francisc Dulf  3 , Andreea Ona  1 , Leon Muntean  1 , Floricuța Ranga  4 , Camelia Urdă  5 , Daria Pop  6 , Tania Mihaiescu  3 , Sorin Marian Mârza  7 , Ionel Papuc  7
Affiliations

Biochemical Changes Induced by the Administration of Cannabis sativa Seeds in Diabetic Wistar Rats

Camelia Munteanu et al. Nutrients. .

Abstract

The present pilot study investigates the blood biochemical changes induced by hemp seeds in rats with diabetes. The composition of industrial hemp seeds, antioxidant activity, identification and quantification of phenols and fatty acids from hemp oil were determined. The Wistar adult rats used in the experiment were divided into three groups (n = 6) and kept under standard conditions. Group one, the control group (individuals without diabetes), and group two (diabetic individuals) received water and normal food ad libitum, while the third group, also including diabetic individuals, received specific food (hemp seeds) and water ad libitum. Subsequent blood biochemical parameters were determined. Hemp seeds had higher phenol (14 compounds), flavonoids and PUFA contents compared to other plants seeds. In addition, the antioxidant activity in Cannabis sativa was also increased. Moreover, the ratio between n-6 and n-3 was 4.41, ideal for different diseases. Additionally, all biochemical parameters showed significant changes following the treatment. It was shown that high doses of hemp seeds decreased diabetes-induced biochemical damage in rats most probably due to the high content of active compounds. In order to use these seeds in humans, it is essential to find out which hemp compounds are particularly responsible for these effects. Moreover, for the objective investigation of their effects, longer-term studies are needed.

Keywords: cannabis; fatty acids; glycemia; hydroxybenzoic acid; phenolic activity.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
(Original) Cannabis sativa, ‘Zenit’ variety.
Figure 2
Figure 2
GC-MS chromatogram of FAMEs from hemp seeds analyzed with a Supelcowax 10 capillary column. Peak identification: 16:0, palmitic; 18:0, stearic; 18:1n-9, oleic; 18:1n-7, vaccenic; 18:2n-6, linoleic; 18:3n-6, γ-linolenic; 18:3n-3, α-linolenic; 20:0, arachidic; 20:1n-9, 11-eicosenoic acids.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Blood biochemical changes for (a) triglyceride, (b) cholesterol, (c) glucose and (d) fructosamine after 5 weeks of treatment in CG, Control Group, which received water and normal feed; DNFG, Diabetic Normal Feed Group—the rats were fed with normal feed; DHFG, Diabetic Hemp Seeds Feed Group—the animals received only hemp seeds as feed. Values are means ± standard deviation (M ± SD), n = 6, p ≤ 0.05 (*), p ≤ 0.01 (**) and p ≤ 0.001 (***) (Kruskal–Wallis test for triglycerides and one-way ANOVA for the other parameters).
Figure 4
Figure 4
The mechanism by which PUFAs suppress cholesterol synthesis via inhibition of the signaling pathway of sterol regulatory element-binding protein-1 (SREBP-1) [74]. PUFAs through their action on the SCAP complex inhibit LXRα-LBD, which further generates suppression of nuclear corepressor receptors NCOR1 and NCOR2 [75]. All these inhibit the synthesis of fatty acids (FAs) as well as triglycerides (TGs). In this way, VLDL-TG is no longer synthesized. Similar to PUFAs, the high concentration of oxysterol has the same effect; it inhibits LXRα-LBD [76,77].
Figure 5
Figure 5
The effect of hemp seeds on pancreatic β cells in diabetes rats. * significant decrease.
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