Abstract
Novel antimicrobial drugs are urgently needed to counteract the increasing occurrence of bacterial resistance. Extracts of Cannabis sativa have been used for the treatment of several diseases since ancient times. However, its phytocannabinoid constituents are predominantly associated with psychotropic effects and medical applications far beyond the treatment of infections. It has been demonstrated that several cannabinoids show potent antimicrobial activity against primarily Gram-positive bacteria including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). As first in vivo efficacy has been demonstrated recently, it is time to discuss whether cannabinoids are promising antimicrobial drug candidates or overhyped intoxicants with benefits.
Highlights
The worldwide spread of bacterial resistance against market antibiotics has been identified as one of the major threats to public health by scientists and healthcare authorities [1,2,3,4]
Gram-negative cell envelope, which leads to a very effective permeation barrier rendering a majority of drugs with antibacterial activity against Gram-positive pathogens inactive against Gram-negative ones
Antimicrobial resistances are increasing in Gram-positive bacteria and, among the high priority pathogens, the Gram-positive pathogen Staphylococcus aureus is the leading cause of both healthcare and community-associated infections worldwide, and a major cause for morbidity as well as mortality, especially taking into account the emergence and rapid spread of Methicillin-resistant
Summary
The worldwide spread of bacterial resistance against market antibiotics has been identified as one of the major threats to public health by scientists and healthcare authorities [1,2,3,4]. Antibiotics 2020, 9, 297 different phytocannabinoids, natural product constituents of the extracts of the plant Cannabis sativa, which have so far mainly been associated with intoxication effects upon recreational usage and medical applications far beyond the treatment of infections, have been reported to show antibacterial activity against several Gram-positive bacterial pathogens, including MRSA [23,24,25,26,27,28,29]. The class of ∆9 -THC-type cannabinoids [32] share a tricyclic 6a,7,8,10a-tetrahydro-6H-benzo[c]chromen-1-ol core structure, its major representatives (−)-∆9 -trans-tetrahydrocannabinol (∆9 -THC) (1) and (−)-∆9 -trans-tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (∆9 -THCA) (21) belong to the cannabinoids with high abundance in Cannabis sativa [33,34]. In 2019, US authorities for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published two consecutive warnings for misuse of cannabidiol products with unsubstantiated claims by producers [96,97]
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