Institute of Plant Sciences, Agricultural Research Organization, Volcani Center, Rishon LeZion, 7505101, Israel.
Institute of Plant Sciences, Agricultural Research Organization, Volcani Center, Rishon LeZion, 7505101, Israel.
Trends Plant Sci. 2020 Oct;25(10):976-984. doi: 10.1016/j.tplants.2020.04.007. Epub 2020 May 13.
Cannabis has been used as a medicine for millennia. Crude extracts of cannabis inflorescence contain numerous phytomolecules, including phytocannabinoids, terpenes, and flavonoids. Combinations of phytomolecules have been recently established as superior to the use of single molecules in medical treatment owing to the 'entourage effect'. Two types of entourage effects are defined: 'intra-entourage', resulting from interactions among phytocannabinoids or terpenes, and 'inter-entourage', attributed to interactions between phytocannabinoids and terpenes. It is suggested that the phytomolecule assemblages found in cannabis chemovars today derive from selective breeding during ancient cultivation. We propose that the current cannabis chemotaxonomy should be redefined according to chemical content and medicinal activity. In parallel, combinations of phytomolecules that exhibit entourage activity should be explored further for future drug development.
大麻作为一种药物已经使用了数千年。大麻花序的粗提取物含有许多植物分子，包括植物大麻素、萜烯和类黄酮。由于“伴生效应”，最近已经确定植物分子的组合优于单一分子在医学上的应用。伴生效应有两种类型：“内伴生”，源于植物大麻素或萜烯之间的相互作用，以及“外伴生”，归因于植物大麻素和萜烯之间的相互作用。据认为，如今在大麻化学型中发现的植物分子组合来自于古代种植过程中的选择性繁殖。我们建议根据化学含量和药用活性重新定义当前的大麻化学分类法。同时，应该进一步探索表现出伴生活性的植物分子组合，以用于未来的药物开发。
