“Seeds contain a variety of phytochemicals that exhibit a wide range of biological activities. Plant-derived compounds are often investigated for their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, hypoglycemic, anti-hypercholesterolemic, anti-hypertensive, anti-platelet, anti-apoptotic, anti-nociceptive, antibacterial, antiviral, anticancer, hepatoprotective, or neuroprotective properties.

In this review, we have described the chemical content and biological activity of seeds from eight selected plant species-blackberry (Rubus fruticosus L.), black raspberry (Rubus coreanus Miq.), grape (Vitis vinifera L.), Moringa oleifera Lam., sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides L.), Gac (Momordica cochinchinensis Sprenger), hemp (Cannabis sativa L.), and sacha inchi (Plukenetia volubilis L). This review is based on studies identified in electronic databases, including PubMed, ScienceDirect, and SCOPUS.

Numerous preclinical, and some clinical studies have found that extracts, fractions, oil, flour, proteins, polysaccharides, or purified chemical compounds isolated from the seeds of these plants display promising, health-promoting effects, and could be utilized in drug development, or to make nutraceuticals and functional foods. Despite that, many of these properties have been studied only in vitro, and it’s unsure if their effects would be relevant in vivo as well, so there is a need for more animal studies and clinical trials that would help determine if they could be applied in disease prevention or treatment.”

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36615843/

“In conclusion, seeds are a source of many promising compounds that have the potential to be implemented in the prevention or treatment of diseases in the future, but the process of introducing them in conventional medicine must be preceded by a thorough in vivo investigation of their effectiveness and safety.”

https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/15/1/187

“Background: Although it has been assumed that chronic cannabis use may have an unfavorable impact on male sexual function and its metabolic correlates, evidence from clinical studies remains inconclusive.

Objective: To investigate the relationship between cannabis use and sexual behavior, anthropometrics and metabolic/vascular profiles in a large series of men evaluated for sexual dysfunction.

Methods: 4800 men (mean age 50.8 years) attending an andrology outpatient clinic for sexual dysfunction were studied. Sexual symptoms, hormonal, metabolic and instrumental (penile color Doppler ultrasound, PCDU) parameters were evaluated according to the reported habitual use of recreational substances (no use, 1-2 joints/week, >2 joints/week, and use of illicit drugs other than cannabis).

Results: When compared to nonusers, cannabis users were younger and exhibited a lower prevalence of comorbidities as well as better PCDU parameters, despite reporting higher alcohol and tobacco consumption. After adjustment for confounders, cannabis use was associated with a greater instability in the couple’s relationship and a higher frequency of masturbation. In addition, the group smoking >2 joints/week showed significantly lower body mass index (BMI) than both controls and users of substances other than cannabis. Men who reported using recreational drugs (either cannabis or other) exhibited significantly lower levels of both total and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol than nonusers. At the PCDU, smoking 1-2 joints/week was associated with significantly higher dynamic peak systolic velocity than both non-drug use and use of >2 joints/week. Prolactin levels were significantly higher in individuals smoking 1-2 joints/week and in those who used substances other than cannabis when compared to controls, whereas no difference in total testosterone levels was observed.

Discussion: In men with sexual dysfunction, mild cannabis consumption may be associated with a more favorable anthropometric and lipid profile and with a better penile arterial vascular response to intracavernous prostaglandin injection.”

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36617843/

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/andr.13382

“Acute and chronic pain management remains an ongoing challenge for hand surgeons. This has been compounded by the ongoing opioid epidemic in the United States.

With the increasing legalization of medical and recreational cannabis throughout the United States and other countries, previous societal stigmas about this substance keep evolving, and recognition of medical cannabis as an opioid-sparing pain management alternative is growing. A review of the current literature demonstrates a strong interest from patients regarding the use of medical cannabis for pain control.

Current evidence demonstrates its efficacy and safety for chronic musculoskeletal and neuropathic pain. However, definitive conclusions regarding the efficacy of cannabis for pain control in hand and upper extremity conditions require continued investigation.

The purpose of this article is to provide a general review of the mechanism of medical cannabis and a scoping review of the current evidence for its efficacy, safety, and potential applicability in hand and upper extremity conditions.”

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36609049/

https://www.jhandsurg.org/article/S0363-5023(22)00710-9/fulltext

“Purpose: Appropriate preoperative screening techniques are needed to safely provide anesthesia to increasing numbers of cannabis using surgical patients.

Design: This was a quasi-experimental quality improvement project.

Methods: Preoperative identification of cannabis users by registered nurses (RNs) and certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs) was compared to baseline identification rates. CRNAs’ compliance with evidenced base guidelines was recorded. Perioperative medication requirements were recorded and compared between cannabis-users and non-cannabis users.

Findings: Identification of cannabis users by CRNAs conducting preanesthetic assessments increased from 4.08% to 14.36% while RN identification improved from 11.22% to 13.81%. Compliance with identification guidelines was 69.2% among CRNAs.

There were no differences in anesthetic requirements, complications, or postanesthesia care unit (PACU) length of stay between cannabis users and non-users.

Conclusion: Preoperative identification of cannabis users allows for safer, more effective perioperative care by CRNAs, registered nurses, and surgical staff.”

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36609136/

https://www.jopan.org/article/S1089-9472(22)00544-5/fulltext

“Background: The causal impacts of recreational cannabis legalization are not well understood due to the number of potential confounds. We sought to quantify possible causal effects of recreational cannabis legalization on substance use, substance use disorder, and psychosocial functioning, and whether vulnerable individuals are more susceptible to the effects of cannabis legalization than others.

Methods: We used a longitudinal, co-twin control design in 4043 twins (N = 240 pairs discordant on residence), first assessed in adolescence and now age 24-49, currently residing in states with different cannabis policies (40% resided in a recreationally legal state). We tested the effect of legalization on outcomes of interest and whether legalization interacts with established vulnerability factors (age, sex, or externalizing psychopathology).

Results: In the co-twin control design accounting for earlier cannabis frequency and alcohol use disorder (AUD) symptoms respectively, the twin living in a recreational state used cannabis on average more often (β_w = 0.11, p = 1.3 × 10^-3), and had fewer AUD symptoms (β_w = -0.11, p = 6.7 × 10^-3) than their co-twin living in an non-recreational state. Cannabis legalization was associated with no other adverse outcome in the co-twin design, including cannabis use disorder. No risk factor significantly interacted with legalization status to predict any outcome.

Conclusions: Recreational legalization was associated with increased cannabis use and decreased AUD symptoms but was not associated with other maladaptations. These effects were maintained within twin pairs discordant for residence. Moreover, vulnerabilities to cannabis use were not exacerbated by the legal cannabis environment. Future research may investigate causal links between cannabis consumption and outcomes.”

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36601811/

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/psychological-medicine/article/abs/recreational-cannabis-legalization-has-had-limited-effects-on-a-wide-range-of-adult-psychiatric-and-psychosocial-outcomes/D4AB5EB78D588473A054877E05D45F16

“Maternal stress can result in changes in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and lead to stress-related behaviours in offspring. Under physiological conditions, delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) appears to be detrimental for fertility. However, cannabis is also commonly used for stress-relief. THC acts on the endocannabinoid receptors in granulosa cells (GCs), which affects oocyte competency. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of THC on in vitro bovine granulosa cell viability, apoptosis, and stress response pathway. GCs were cultured in vitro in the presence of clinically relevant therapeutic and recreational plasma doses of THC. Cortisol doses reflecting normal and elevated plasma levels were used to evaluate the effects of THC under induced stress in vitro. No effect of THC was observed on cell viability or apoptosis. High and low cortisol concentrations caused significant increases in 11β-HSD1 mRNA expression (n = 6, p < 0.0001). Interestingly, when combined with high [THC], there was a significant decrease in 11β-HSD1 expression compared to high and low cortisol treatments alone (p < 0.001, p < 0.05). GR expression was unaffected by cortisol treatments, and low [THC] treatment maintained increased expression in the presence of high and low cortisol treatments (n = 6, p < 0.01, p < 0.0001). Our findings represent a foundation to obtain useful data for evaluating THC potential therapeutic benefit.”

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36596389/

“THC treatment does not affect granulosa cell viability or apoptosis.•

Cortisol treatments increase 11β-HSD1 gene expression.•

11β-HSD1 gene expression is reduced by THC treatment in combination with cortisol.•

Glucocorticoid receptor gene expression is increased in response to THC.”

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0887233322002478?via%3Dihub