Chemical Characterization and Evaluation of the Antimicrobial Activity of Extracts from Two Cultivars of Cannabis sativa L. (Tisza and Kompolti) Grown in Sardinia

Abstract

The present work was aimed at the chemical characterization and antimicrobial activity of some extracts of aerial parts (essential oils from leaves and inflorescences and resins from inflorescences) of two legal hemp (Cannabis sativa) varieties, Tisza and Kompolti, grown in Sardinia. Chemical characterization was carried out by gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) techniques. The main constituent was myrcene (11.75% in Tisza and 18.21% in Kompolti); delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) was not found, while cannabidiol was present up to 0.36% in Tisza and up to 2.80% in Kompolti. The antimicrobial activity of these extracts against a panel of microorganisms was also determined via minimum inhibitory concentration (M.I.C.) determination. While the results showed minor or negligible antimicrobial activity of the extracts against the Gram+ and Candida strains (M.I.C. values equal to or greater than 4 mg/mL), good antibacterial activity (especially of resins) was recorded against S. aureus (M.I.C. 0.015–0.031 mg/mL); no substantial differences were detected between the chemical compositions of the two Cannabis varieties.