Cannabis (Cannabis sativa L.) plants from the family Cannabidaceae have been used since ancient times, to produce fibers, oil, and for medicinal purposes. Psychoactive delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and nonpsychoactive cannabidiol (CBD) are the main pharmacologically active compounds of Cannabis sativa. These compounds have, for a long time, been under extensive investigation, and their potent antioxidant and inflammatory properties have been reported, although the detailed mechanisms of their actions have not been fully clarified. CB1 receptors are suggested to be responsible for the analgesic effect of THC, while CB2 receptors may account for its immunomodulatory properties. Unlike THC, CBD has a very low affinity for both CB1 and CB2 receptors, and behaves as their negative allosteric modulator. CBD activity, as a CB2 receptor inverse agonist, could be important for CBD anti-inflammatory properties. In this review, we discuss the chemical properties and bioavailability of THC and CBD, their main mechanisms of action, and their role in oxidative stress and inflammation.
Cancer is one of the most serious public health issues worldwide, demanding ongoing efforts to find novel therapeutic agents and approaches. Amid growing interest in the oncological applications of phytochemicals, particularly polyphenols, resveratrol—a naturally occurring polyphenolic stilbene derivative—has emerged as a candidate of interest. This review analyzes the pleiotropic anti-cancer effects of resveratrol, including its modulation of apoptotic pathways, cell cycle regulation, inflammation, angiogenesis, and metastasis, its interaction with cancer stem cells and the tumor microenvironment. The effects of resveratrol on mitochondrial functions, which are crucial to cancer development, are also discussed. Future research directions are identified, including the elucidation of specific molecular targets, to facilitate the clinical translation of resveratrol in cancer prevention and therapy.
Collagen is essential as a physiological material in wound healing, so it is often used in wound management, mainly as a lyophilisate. Collagen also has excellent film-forming properties; unfortunately, however, its utilisation as a film wound dressing is limited because of its weak mechanical properties, especially in its wet state. For this reason, modifications or combinations with different materials are investigated. The combination of collagen with partially modified microfibrillar carboxymethylcellulose (CMC), which has not previously been described, provided a new possibility for strengthening collagen films and was the aim of this work. The collagen–CMC films based on three types of collagens, two plasticizers and two collagen. Plasticiser ratios were prepared using the solvent casting method; partially modified CMC served here as both a film-forming agent and a filler, without compromising the transparency of the films. The presence of microfibrils was confirmed microscopically by SEM. Organoleptic and physicochemical evaluation, especially in terms of practical application on wounds, demonstrated that all the samples had satisfactory properties for this purpose even after wetting. All the films retained acidic pH values even after 24 h, with a maximum of 6.27 ± 0.17, and showed a mild degree of swelling, with a maximum of about 6 after 24 h.