ANTIOXIDANT AND ANTIMUTAGENIC ACTIVITY OF CANNABIS SATIVA L. SEEDS AND SPROUTS

In recent years research has focused on the identification of functional foods which contain biologically active molecules that can make benefits to health, beyond the nutritional role. Particularly, the use of seeds such as flax seed, sesame, chia, quinoa and amaranth has been revalued, since they have a high energy content and are an important source of antioxidants[1]. In this research seeds of hemp, Cannabis sativa L. cv. Futura, as well as sprouts, collected after three and five days of germination, were analyzed. Phytochemical compounds content (total polyphenols, flavonoids and total flavonols) and antioxidant activity (determined by DPPH and ORAC assays) were evaluated in hemp extracts. A higher content of antioxidant compounds (mg/g DW) was observed in sprouts compared to seeds. Then the possible antimicrobial activity of hemp extracts has been evaluated on Gram negative (Escherichia coli, Enterobacter aerogenes, Salmonella typhimurium) and Gram positive (Enterococcus faecalis, Staphylococcus aureus) bacterial strains, and the MIC (minimal inhibitory concentration) was determined. It was found growth inhibition of E. coli and S. typhimurium by MIC of 1mg/ml, while for E. aerogenes and S. aureus MIC was higher (2.5mg/ml). No inhibition was observed for E. faecalis. Finally, antimutagenic tests were carried out on Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain D7 yeast, to evaluate a possible antimutagen effect of the extracts of hemp seed. The results showed that C. sativa cv. Futura seeds had an antimutagen effect on the yeast S. cerevisiae, with a significant decrease of the point mutation.