Terpenes are the primary constituents of essential oils and are responsible for the aroma characteristics of cannabis. Together with the cannabinoids, terpenes illustrate synergic and/or entourage effect and their interactions have only been speculated in for the last few decades. Hundreds of terpenes are identified that allude to cannabis sensory attributes, contributing largely to the consumer’s experiences and market price. They also enhance many therapeutic benefits, especially as aromatherapy. To shed light on the importance of terpenes in the cannabis industry, the purpose of this review is to morphologically describe sources of cannabis terpenes and to explain the biosynthesis and diversity of terpene profiles in different cannabis chemovars.

Interaction of leukocyte function associated antigen-1 (LFA-1) on T-lymphocytes and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) on epithelial cells controls leukocyte adhesion, spreading, and extravasation. This process plays an important role in leukocyte recruitment to a specific site of inflammation and has been identified as a biomarker for certain types of carcinomas. Cyclo-(1,12)-PenITDGEATDSGC (cLABL) has been shown to inhibit LFA-1 and ICAM-1 interaction via binding to ICAM-1. In addition, cLABL has been shown to internalize after binding ICAM-1. The possibility of using cLABL conjugated nanoparticles (cLABL-NP) as a targeted and controlled release drug delivery system has been investigated in this study. The cLABL peptide was conjugated to a modified Pluronic surfactant on poly (DL-lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanoparticles. The cLABL-NP showed more rapid cellular uptake by A549 lung epithelial cells compared to nanoparticles without peptide. The specificity of ICAM-1-mediated internalization was confirmed by blocking the uptake of cLABL-NP to ICAM-1 using free cLABL peptide to block the binding of cLABL-NP to ICAM-1 on the cell surface. Cell studies suggested that cLABL-NPs targeted encapsulated doxorubicin to ICAM-1 expressing cells. Cytotoxicity assay confirmed the activity of the drug incorporated in nanoparticles. Sustained release of doxorubicin afforded by PLGA nanoparticles may enable cLABL-NP as a targeted, controlled release drug delivery system.

In recent years, due to their distinctive and adaptable therapeutic effects, many natural bioactive compounds have been commonly used to treat diseases. Their limited solubility, low bioavailability, inadequate gastrointestinal tract stability, high metabolic rate, and shorter duration of action limited their pharmaceutical applications. However, those can be improved using nanotechnology to create various drug delivery systems, including lipid-based nanoparticles, to adjust the compounds’ physicochemical properties and pharmacokinetic profile. Because of the enormous technical advancements made in the fundamental sciences and the physical and chemical manipulation of individual atoms and molecules, the subject of nanotechnology has experienced revolutionary growth. By fabricating certain functionalized particles, nanotechnology opens an innovative horizon in research and development for overcoming restrictions, including traditional medication administration systems. Nanotechnology-driven bioactive compounds are certain to have a high impact and clinical value for current and future uses. Lipid-based nanotechnologies were shown to deliver a range of naturally occurring bioactive compounds with decent entrapment potential and stability, a successfully controlled release, increased bioavailability, and intriguing therapeutic activity. This review outlines bioactive compounds such as paclitaxel, curcumin, rhodomyrtone, quercetin, kaempferol, resveratrol, epigallocatechin-3-gallate, silymarin, and oridonin, fortified within either a natural or synthetic lipid-based drug delivery system based on nanotechnology and their evaluation and clinical considerations.

Wound healing impairment due to a postponed, incomplete, or uncoordinated healing process has been a challenging clinical problem. Much research has focused on wound care, particularly on discovery of new therapeutic approaches for acute and chronic wounds. This study aims to evaluate the effect of the combination of quercetin and curcuminoids at three different ratios on the antimicrobial, antioxidant, cell migration and wound healing properties. The antioxidant activities of quercetin, curcuminoids and the mixtures were tested by DPPH and ABTS free radical scavenging assays. The disc diffusion method was performed to determine the antibacterial activities of quercetin, curcuminoids and the mixtures against S. aureus and P. aeruginosa. The cytotoxicity and cell migratory enhancing effects of quercetin, curcuminoids and the mixtures against human dermal fibroblasts were investigated by MTT assay, scratch assay and Transwell migration assay, respectively. The results showed the synergism of the quercetin and curcuminoid combination to inhibit the growth of S. aureus and P. aeruginosa, with the inhibition zone ranging from 7.06 ± 0.25 to 8.78 ± 0.38 mm, respectively. The DPPH free radical scavenging assay demonstrated that the combination of quercetin and curcuminoids yielded lower IC₅₀ values (15.38–23.70 µg/mL) than curcuminoids alone (25.75 µg/mL). Quercetin and a 3:1 quercetin/curcuminoid mixture at non-toxic concentrations showed the ability to stimulate the migration of fibroblasts across the matrix, whereas only quercetin alone accelerated the wound closure of fibroblasts. In conclusion, the mixture of quercetin and curcuminoids at a 3:1 ratio was the best formulations for use in wound healing due to the antimicrobial, antioxidant and cell-migration-enhancing activities.