Cannabis‐Derived Compounds Against Plasmodium sp.: A Systematic Review of Preclinical Studies

TL;DR

This review examines preclinical studies on cannabis compounds against malaria parasites, finding some antimalarial activity but limited toxicity data.

Contribution

A systematic review of cannabis-derived compounds' preclinical effects against Plasmodium, highlighting gaps in toxicity and methodological reporting.

Findings

In vitro studies showed antimalarial activity with IC50 values ranging from 0.16 to 4.1 μg/mL.

In vivo studies reported moderate antimalarial activity and disease tolerance.

Toxicity data is limited, and most studies had unclear risk of bias due to insufficient methodological details.

Abstract

This study aims to evaluate preclinical studies on the effects and toxicity of cannabis‐derived compounds against Plasmodium sp.

A literature search was conducted in Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus and LILACS databases until December 2024. Studies that assessed the activity or toxicity of cannabis against Plasmodium sp. in in vitro or in vivo studies were included. Two reviewers independently performed the study selection, data extraction and methodological assessment.

Eight studies published between 2001 and 2022 were included, with the majority conducted in North America (n = 5). Most in vitro studies focused on assessing antimalarial activity through half‐maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50), which ranged from 0.16 to 4.1 μg/mL, indicating mild to high activity. For the in vivo studies, all reported positive effects, including moderate antimalarial activity and disease tolerance. The toxicity profile of these compounds has not been extensively studied, and most studies present an unknown or unclear risk of bias due to insufficient methodological information.

Future studies should provide more comprehensive details on study design and further validate these findings, especially concerning toxicity.

Figures