“Drug resistance in bacteria and fungi is a global threat to public health. The purpose of this publication is to review the latest scientific achievements, mainly from 2020-2025, concerning the use of hemp compounds from Cannabis sativa in combating drug-resistant bacterial and fungal infections.
The literature review confirms that C.sativa, a plant with a documented centuries-old therapeutic history, is a rich source of cannabinoids and terpenes that combat drug-resistant bacteria: Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pneumoniae, and fungi: Cryptococcus neoformans, as well as species from the Candida and Aspergillus.
The potential of hemp compounds is based on their activity in interacting directly with pathogens by disrupting cell membrane integrity, eradicating biofilm, having a bactericidal effect on bacterial spores, acting synergistically, affecting host inflammatory pathways, and the human endocannabinoid system.”
“Endophytic fungi are prolific sources of natural antioxidants and antibacterial agents.
This study aims to isolate and identify the endophytic fungus EFY14 from Cannabis sativa L. leaves and to evaluate the antibacterial and antioxidant activities of its culture filtrates.
Non-targeted metabolomics was employed to chemically profile the EFY14 crude extract, a potential biological targets were predicted through molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations. EFY14 was taxonomically identified as belonging to the Chaetomium genus.
Its extract contained 20.823 ± 1.449 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/L total phenolic and 0.230 ± 0.007 mg rutin equivalent (RE)/mL total flavonoids, displaying antioxidant and antibacterial activities. Metabolomic profiling identified flavonoids and phenolic compounds, including 4′,7-dihydroxy-8-methylisoflavone, scopoletin, xanthohumol, tricin, sophoraflavanone G, prenyl glucoside, melilotoside and maltol. Molecular docking indicated potential molecular targets for these metabolites.
These findings suggest that EFY14 derived endophytic fungi from C. sativa L. may represent a novel source of antioxidant and antibacterial compounds.”
“In this study, a strain named Chaetomium globusum EFY14 was identified from the leaves of the Cannabis genus plants. It was determined to be a new source of antioxidants and antibacterial agents. Additionally, the Cannabidiolic acid component was detected through metabolomics. The extract is rich in phenolic and flavonoid substances and has DPPH scavenging activity as well as inhibitory activity against E.coli, B.subtilis, and S.aureus. The metabolites verified through metabolomics and molecular docking provide promising candidate substances for drug development and agricultural biological control, as well as new methods for cannabinoid synthesis.”
“This research is highly relevant for professionals in the fields of pharmaceuticals, agriculture and natural products. The identification of Chaetomium globusum. EFY14 from the Cannabis genus as a source of phenolic substances, flavonoids (such as xanthohumol, tricin) and antioxidant/antibacterial metabolites provides feasible development leads for new drugs, biological pesticides and natural antioxidants. This strain offers new strains for industrial production of antioxidant and antibacterial substances.”
“Gram-positive cocci of the Enterococcus genus, despite their prevalence in the environment and the microbiota of healthy people, have become a serious threat in hospitals as opportunistic pathogens. These bacteria have many virulence factors and intrinsic resistance to existing drugs, which significantly narrows the group of effective antimicrobials. Due to the spread of Multi-Drug-Resistant (MDR) strains, there is a need to search for new substances as potential antibiotics.
Our work aimed to evaluate the antimicrobial effect of commercially available products (five oils containing cannabidiol (CBD) and its derivatives and one 99% CBD product in the form of crystals) on 20 clinical strains of E. faecalis and E. faecium. We determined the Minimal Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) of CBD oils using the microdilution method in Mueller-Hinton broth (MHB).
The CBD displayed antibacterial properties against all tested Enterococcus spp. strains (MIC ≤ 1 μg/mL). The higher concentration of CBD resulted in a larger antibacterial effect. The obtained MICs of pure CBD and CBD crystals were statistically lower (W = 97, p < 0.001) for E. feacium than E. faecalis.
This work confirms the antibacterial activity of CBD on Enterococcus spp., providing a solid basis for further research that can help identify new therapeutic options and gain a deeper understanding of the CBD mechanism of action.”
“These preliminary investigations provide meaningful insights into the activity of CBD against Enterococcus spp. and highlight their potential as a novel antibacterial agent.”
“Objective: To develop a green and efficient ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) process to obtain bioactive resins from Cannabis sativa with potential pharmaceutical applications, optimizing extraction parameters to maximize antioxidant capacity and total polyphenol content.
Significance: UAE using ethanol under mild temperature and time conditions as a green technique was applied to reduce solvent consumption, energy demand, and extraction time while preserving thermolabile bioactive compounds. Optimizing UAE enables the recovery of cannabinoid- and terpene-rich extracts that may serve as natural active pharmaceutical ingredients or functional excipients for drug development. This study integrate a Doehlert-based optimization of UAE with a functional evaluation of antioxidant efficiency and antimicrobial activity, providing a comprehensive framework for the development of cannabis-derived pharmaceutical ingredients.
Methods: A Doehlert experimental design combined with response surface methodology was employed to optimize temperature and extraction time. The optimized extract was characterized for its phytochemical composition. Antimicrobial activity was evaluated against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial strains to assess potential therapeutic relevance.
Results: Under optimal conditions (54.5 °C, 28 min 25 s), the extract showed a total phenolic content of approximately 0.11 mg gallic acid/mg resin and an IC50 value of about 0.24 mg resin/mL extract, indicating enhanced antioxidant performance compared to non-optimized conditions. Also, showed selective bactericidal activity against Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923 and Staphylococcus epidermidis ATCC 12228, while Gram-negative strains remained resistant.
Conclusions: UAE extraction efficiently recovered antioxidant and selectively antimicrobial compounds from Cannabis sativa resins under mild, eco-friendly conditions, supporting their potential use as bioactive ingredients in pharmaceuticals.”
“Cannabis sativa is a phytochemically rich plant producing over 500 compounds, with cannabinoids recognized as its most bioactive constituents.
However, the natural exploration and exploitation of novel, pharmacologically active cannabinoids remain limited due to their trace abundance in the plant. To address this challenge, we employed an extract engineering strategy in which enriched fractions of major cannabinoids were chemically transformed through oxone/acetone oxidation under mild conditions.
This approach enabled the purification of seven cannabinoid analogs, including rare and previously undescribed compounds, in appreciable quantities. The structures of these analogs were elucidated using high-resolution mass spectrometry combined with comprehensive 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopy.
Antibacterial susceptibility assay revealed that out of seven compounds, Compound 1, 5, and 7 exerted significant inhibitory activity against both Staphylococcus aureus and methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) pathogens.
A Checkerboard study revealed the synergistic interaction between active hits and Rifampin in both S. aureus and MRSA. The biofilm-based assay demonstrated the antibiofilm potential of the identified hits. The mechanistic exploration elucidated the cell membrane-based targeting of the potent hits, validated through scanning electron microscopy. Moreover, the Propidium iodide assay performed using flow cytometry and fluorescence microscopy revealed the membrane disruption effect of the identified hits. In addition, the ATP quantification study demonstrated a major decline in ATP levels along with an augmentation in ROS production in the MRSA pathogen.
Thus, this work establishes extract engineering as a powerful strategy to unlock rare cannabinoid scaffolds and highlights their potential as leads for combating multidrug-resistant Staphylococcus infections.”
“Cannabis sativa has diverse phytochemical composition and therapeutic potential.”
“In summary, comprehensive antistaphylococcal evaluation of the cannabinoid-based molecules demonstrated strong antibacterial activity against both S. aureus and MRSA pathogens, along with synergistic interaction when combined with standard drugs. Notably, the potent molecules expressed low propensity for the development of resistance in the MRSA strain. Moreover, the antibiofilm action of the potent hits highlighted their curative role…”
“Cannabinoids have been shown to have effective antibacterial applications.
With the limitations of current intracanal endodontic medicaments and the rise of bacterial resistance, it is important to investigate novel treatment strategies for endodontic infections. The aim of this study was to test the antibacterial efficacy of cannabinoids on bacteria in persistent endodontic infections: Enterococcus faecalis, Streptococcus mutans, and Fusobacterium nucleatum.
Planktonic bacteria were exposed to a negative control (no exposure), a positive control (3% NaOCl), and the experimental groups Cannabidiol (CBD), Cannabinol (CBN), and Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). The Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) and Minimum Bactericidal Concentration (MBC) were also investigated. Biofilms were cultured and treated with cannabinoids. A crystal violet assay (CVA) and live/dead analysis assessed the biofilm degradation and inhibition, respectively. A statistical analysis was performed using an ANOVA.
CBD, CBN, and THC reached a MIC for both E. faecalis and S. mutans in planktonic forms. The MBC was found for the tested cannabinoids on planktonic E. faecalis. No MBC was found for S. mutans. The live/dead analysis of E. faecalis and S. mutans biofilms showed a decrease in the viability of the biofilm with an increased cannabinoid concentration. The CVA revealed that cannabinoids only degrade the E. faecalis biofilm. Planktonic F. nucleatum had no MIC for tested cannabinoids.
Cannabinoids have inhibitory effects on E. faecalis and S. mutans in the planktonic and biofilm states. No inhibitory effects of F. nucleatum were found at tested concentrations of all three cannabinoids.
The findings suggest that cannabinoids have distinct antibacterial effects on certain pathogens associated with persistent endodontic infections.”
“Botrytis cinerea is a pathogen infecting Cannabis sativa L. plants, causing economic losses, and can develop resistance to chemical fungicides, the use of which is restricted in cannabis production. Thus, developing biocontrol methods is imperative.
Seven bacterial strains were isolated from hemp seed oil, characterized, and examined for the potential to control a B. cinerea isolate from cannabis.
Three isolates, Bacillus mojavensis HOB3, Paenibacillus sp. HOB6 and Bacillus subtilis HOB7 exhibited significant inhibition of B. cinerea. These isolates were further evaluated for their biosurfactant activity using two liquid media, Lysogeny Broth (LB) and hydrocarbon-amended Bushnell and Haas (BH). The oil-spreading and drop-collapse assays revealed growth-medium-dependent variation in surface activity associated with biosurfactant presence. The BH cell-free extract (BH-CFE) of B. subtilis HOB7 showed the highest estimated biosurfactant presence and antifungal activity against B. cinerea, but both activities were absent when using the LB cell-free extract (LB-CFE) of B. subtilis HOB7.
Thus, a potential relationship between antifungal activity and biosurfactant production was suggested. Genome mining of the strains identified gene clusters encoding compounds with antifungal activity, including the biosurfactants polymyxin B, fusaricidin B, fengycin, and surfactin.
To our knowledge, this is the first report of the isolation of hemp seed oil bacteria with potential biocontrol properties against fungal phytopathogens.”
“Polymyxin B, fusaricidin B, fengycin, and surfactin are all natural lipopeptides (or cyclic non-ribosomal peptides) produced by bacteria of the Paenibacillus and Bacillus genera. They act as biosurfactants and have various antimicrobial properties, particularly as antibiotics and fungicides.”
“Background: In light of the growing problem of antibiotic resistance, it is imperative to investigate new sources, and plants offer a promising supply of bioactive chemicals. Because of its numerous uses in industry, health, and nutrition as well as its antibacterial qualities, Cannabis sativa (C.sativa) has garnered a lot of study interest. This study sought to determine whether ethanolic extracts from C.sativa leaves have antibacterial properties against six human pathogenic microorganisms.
Methodology: The antibacterial activity of C.sativa ethanolic extract was tested against six bacteria according to design of experiments made by Agar diffusion method accompanied by response surface method (RSM) of Minitab 17 software. The different combinations set were, concentration: 5.0, 7.5, and 10.0, pH: 5.0, 6.5, 8.0 and temperature: 35°C, 37.5°C, 40°C. By using RSM, maximum antibacterial activity has been checked for ethanolic extract of C.sativa against six bacteria by choosing three independent variables, temperature, pH, and concentration. In in-Silico studies, homology, threading approach, structure prediction, ligands designing and docking studies was performed against the antimicrobial target sequences for Beta-Lactamase, GABA Receptor, Lipoteichoic Acid, N-Acetylglucosamine (NAG), Peptidoglycan and Topoisomerase-IV through FASTA format from UniProt for structure prediction.
Results: The results indicated that the three concentrations were effective against tested bacteria. Moreover, effect of pH caused a significant variation in zone of inhibition. The graphs presented in this study indicate the highest zone of inhibition for plant extract; have been achieved at concentration of 10.0, pH 5.1 and temperature 37.5°C. It shows that by keeping the pH low, antibacterial activity will increase. Through the multiple regression analysis on the experimental data, the fitted regression model for the response variable and the test variable x1, x2, x3 are correlated by the second order polymeric equation.
Conclusion: It has been concluded that C.sativa can be considered as an effective drug in curing diseases caused by bacteria. Using the optimized values of temperature and pH analyzed in this experiment.”
“Humans have been employing C.sativa since ancient times, and numerous historians have recorded multiple uses of this plant abroad. This plant has been cultivated for religious and recreational purposes, as well as for food, fiber, and oil, according to recorded history. C.sativa is also used therapeutically to treat depression, inflammation, and chronic pain, according to numerous ethnobotanical surveys.”
“This study is the continuation of the research to examine the effectiveness of ethanolic extracts made from C. sativa leaves against harmful microorganisms in humans. The results show that this extract has strong antibacterial activity against a variety of pathogens, such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumonia, Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus typhi, and Staphylococcus aureus which is affected more strongly by the pH and temperature variations rather than the concentrations of the extract. Moreover, it is confirmed by the application of the RSM model which indicates its activity. The zones of inhibition produced in the repetitive study has been concluded that C. sativa may be qualified as the drug of the future that can be efficacious for combating bacterial infections. The said plant is of high importance to synthesize a very high potency antibacterial drug by using the optimized ranges of temperature and pH.”
“Background/Objectives: The use of cannabidiol (CBD) as an antimicrobial and antifungal agent has gained interest in medicine, with studies suggesting potential against various microorganisms. However, its effectiveness against oral pathogens remains underexplored in dental research, highlighting the need for further studies. This scoping review summarizes current evidence on the antimicrobial properties of CBD in dental and oral health.
Methods: A systematic search was conducted across seven databases (PubMed, the Cochrane Library, Scopus, Embase, Web of Science, SciELO, and LILACS) up to January 2025. The inclusion criteria encompassed studies that explored the effects of CBD on oral microbiology (in vitro and in vivo in animal models), regardless of language or year of publication. The gray literature was evaluated in the Google Scholar database.
Results: A total of 1284 articles were identified, of which 10 met the inclusion criteria for this scoping review. These studies, published between 2019 and 2025, primarily focused on bacterial and fungal cultures. The most commonly used methods were the minimum inhibitory concentration test and counting colony-forming units. The contact methods between CBD and bacterial/fungal cell cultures were either dilution or direct contact.
Conclusions: CBD shows promising antimicrobial properties against a range of oral bacteria and fungi, suggesting its potential application in managing oral health conditions.”
“The current knowledge regarding the microbiological properties of CBD indicates its antimicrobial potential against oral microorganisms such as P. gingivalis, S. mutans, and C. albicans. Several studies have evaluated CBD antimicrobial effects through assays such as the MIC test and bacterial growth assays, with varying concentrations and formulations. These studies suggest that CBD can inhibit microbial growth, though its effectiveness varies according to CBD concentration, microbial strain, and the delivery system.”
“Antimicrobial resistance remains a critical global health threat, driving the urgent need for novel therapeutic agents. Cannabinoids, bioactive secondary metabolites derived from Cannabis sativa, have gained attention for their promising antimicrobial properties.
This review presents the latest advances in the antimicrobial properties of cannabinoids, emphasizing their activity against multidrug-resistant pathogens, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium, and selected Gram-negative bacteria.
We summarize their antibacterial and antifungal effects, along with insights into structure-activity relationships that reveal the critical roles of functional groups such as the resorcinol moiety and alkyl side chain.
Mechanistic studies suggest that membrane disruption, metabolic interference, and reactive oxygen species generation contribute to their antimicrobial action. Moreover, we summarize the synergistic potential of cannabinoids when used in combination with conventional antibiotics, highlighting both promising outcomes and notable limitations.
Despite these advances, challenges such as poor solubility, limited in vivo data, and regulatory barriers persist. Addressing these gaps through focused medicinal chemistry and translational research will be essential to harness the full potential of cannabinoids as next-generation antimicrobial agents.”
