A new 2026 study found that Cannabis sativa flower extracts showed activity against several biological targets involved in diabetes. Researchers tested the extracts for effects on carbohydrate-digesting enzymes, glucose uptake and oxidative stress, then used computational modeling to examine how 36 cannabis metabolites interacted with diabetes-related proteins.
The hexane extract showed the strongest overall activity, including inhibition of α-amylase and α-glucosidase and the greatest increase in glucose uptake in the yeast model. Glucose uptake with the hexane extract rose from 25% at 62.5 µg/mL to 54% at 500 µg/mL.
The docking analysis identified several cannabinoids — including Δ9-THC, 8-hydroxy-Δ9-THC, cannabivarin and tetrahydrocannabinol-7-oic acid — as promising candidates for further study against diabetes-related targets such as DPP-4, SGLT-2 and PTP1B. The authors concluded that cannabis inflorescences may be a promising source of compounds for future antidiabetic drug research.
“Cannabis sativa, a medicinal plant rich in cannabinoids, terpenoids, and flavonoids, has been shown to have various pharmacological activities.
This study investigated the antidiabetic potential of C. sativa inflorescence extracts using in vitro and computational models.
Dried C. sativa inflorescences were extracted sequentially with hexane, dichloromethane, and methanol, before their metabolites were identified by GC-MS. The extracts were tested for α-amylase and α-glucosidase inhibition, glucose uptake activity, and antioxidant effects using DPPH and nitric oxide (NO) inhibition assays. Thirty-six metabolites were further docked against diabetes-related proteins.
Among the extracts, the hexane extract showed the strongest bioactivity with notable α-amylase inhibition (IC50: 727 µg/mL), DPPH free radical scavenging (IC50: 478.62 µg/mL), and nitric oxide inhibition activity (IC50: 356.51 µg/mL). Docking analyses revealed strong binding affinities for 8-hydroxy-delta-9-THC, cannabivarin, and 9-tetrahydrocannabinol with DPP-4, PTP1B, and other target proteins.
These findings highlight the potential of C. sativa inflorescences as a source of antidiabetic agents, warranting further in vivo and clinical validation.”
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42763912
“This study provides preliminary evidence that C. sativa inflorescence extracts contain phytoconstituents with antioxidant, enzyme-inhibitory, and potential antidiabetic activities under the experimental conditions investigated. Among the extracts, the hexane extract exhibited the strongest enzyme inhibition and capacity to interact with free radicals.
In addition, compounds including Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol, 8-hydroxy-Δ9-THC, cannabivarin, and tetrahydrocannabinol-7-oic acid exhibited favorable binding affinities toward diabetes-related protein targets, identifying them as promising candidates for further investigation.”