# A comparative study on phytochemical analysis and biological properties of three varieties of cannabis sativa L. seeds

**Authors:** Rafik El-Mernissi, Naoual El Menyiy, Aziz Zouhri, Yahya El-Mernissi, Amira Metouekel, Farhan Siddique, Mohammed H. AL Mughram, Denekew Temesgen, Abdullah R. Alanzi, Mohammad Khalid, Hassan Amhamdi, Oualid Abboussi, Lhoussain Hajji

PMC · DOI: 10.1515/biol-2025-1211 · Open Life Sciences · 2026-02-06

## TL;DR

This study compares the chemical and health benefits of three Cannabis sativa seed varieties from Morocco, finding that Beldiya has the strongest antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects.

## Contribution

The study provides a comparative phytochemical and biological evaluation of three Cannabis sativa seed varieties, identifying Beldiya as having superior antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

## Key findings

- Beldiya seeds showed the highest antioxidant activity with low IC50 values in DPPH, ABTS, and FRAP assays.
- Molecular docking confirmed Quercetin, Catechin, and Ursolic acid as key compounds with anti-inflammatory and analgesic potential.
- Beldiya's anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects at 300 mg/kg were comparable to aspirin and indomethacin.

## Abstract

This study evaluated the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and analgesic properties of three varieties of Cannabis sativa L. seeds from Morocco, alongside their chemical compositions. High-Performance Liquid Chromatography with Diode Array Detection (HPLC-DAD) were employed for chemical analysis. Antioxidant activity was assessed using ABTS, TAC, and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assays, while anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects were tested in animal models. Molecular docking targeted 5IKQ and 3RP8 enzymes based on HPLC-identified compounds. The hydroalcoholic extracts demonstrated appreciable levels of phenolics and flavonoids: total phenolic content (TPC) was 76.87 ± 0.24 mg GAE/g DW (Cric), 81.45 ± 1.37 mg GAE/g DW (Khard), and 84.96 ± 2.05 mg GAE/g DW (Beldiya), while total flavonoid content (TFC) was 3.34 ± 0.22 mg QE/g DW (Cric), 3.56 ± 0.07 mg QE/g DW (Khard), and 3.32 ± 0.12 mg QE/g DW (Beldiya).HPLC results revealed polyphenolic compounds, including Catechin, Quercetin, Ursolic acid, and Rosmarinic acid. The Beldiya variety showed the strongest antioxidant activity, with IC50 values of 0.12 ± 0.07 mg/mL (DPPH), 0.71 ± 0.01 mg/mL (ABTS), and 0.32 ± 0.04 mg/mL (FRAP). It also exhibited notable anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects at 300 mg/kg, comparable to aspirin and indomethacin. Molecular docking confirmed Quercetin, Catechin, and Rosmarinic acid as potent antioxidants, with Quercetin, Catechin, and Ursolic acid showing significant anti-inflammatory and analgesic potential. These findings underscore the therapeutic value of Cannabis sativa seeds for health applications.

## Linked entities

- **Chemicals:** Catechin (PubChem CID 1203), Quercetin (PubChem CID 5280343), Ursolic acid (PubChem CID 64945), Rosmarinic acid (PubChem CID 639655)

## Full-text entities

- **Diseases:** neurodegenerative disorders (MESH:D019636), Inflammation (MESH:D007249), Pain (MESH:D010146), diabetes (MESH:D003920), cancer (MESH:D009369), edema (MESH:D004487), neuropathic pain (MESH:D009437), constipation (MESH:D003248), tissue injury (MESH:D017695), atherosclerotic (MESH:D050197), damage to the nervous system (MESH:D020196), carcinogenic (MESH:D011230), oedema (MESH:C536897), infection (MESH:D007239), nociceptive (MESH:D059226)
- **Chemicals:** Voltaren (MESH:D004008), Free radical (MESH:D005609), kaempferol (MESH:C006552), Aspirin (MESH:D001241), phenol (MESH:D019800), Water (MESH:D014867), Ursolic acid (MESH:C005466), Catechin (MESH:D002392), terpenoids (MESH:D013729), PGE2 (MESH:D015232), BHT (MESH:D002084), phenolic acids (MESH:C017616), Acetic acid (MESH:D019342), ascorbic acid (MESH:D001205), alkaloids (MESH:D000470), ethanol (MESH:D000431), PGF2alpha (MESH:D015237), methanol (MESH:D000432), histamine (MESH:D006632), vanillic acid (MESH:D014641), Carrageenan (MESH:D002351), Gallic acid (MESH:D005707), Rosmarinic acid (MESH:C041376), prostaglandin (MESH:D011453), THC (MESH:D013759), Quercetin (MESH:D011794), dichloromethane (MESH:D008752), NaNO2 (MESH:D012977), essential fatty acid (MESH:D005228), esters (MESH:D004952), 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazil (MESH:C004931), stilbenes (MESH:D013267), AlCl3 (MESH:D000077410), steroids (MESH:D013256), 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid (MESH:C009091), meclofenamic acid (MESH:D008469), polyphenol (MESH:D059808), Na2CO3 (MESH:C005686), P-coumaric acid (MESH:C495469), lipid (MESH:D008055), 2,2'-azino-bis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (MESH:C002502), hydrogen (MESH:D006859), ROS (MESH:D017382), serotonin (MESH:D012701), syringic acid (MESH:C001945), Flavonoids (MESH:D005419), 1,2-dihydroxybenzoic acid (-), naringin (MESH:C005274), disulfide (MESH:D004220), hexane (MESH:D006586), amino acid (MESH:D000596), Indomethacin (MESH:D007213), leukotrienes (MESH:D015289), lignans (MESH:D017705), fatty acids (MESH:D005227), tannins (MESH:D013634), flavin adenine dinucleotide (MESH:D005182)
- **Species:** Cannabis sativa (species) [taxon 3483], Bacillus sp. SA (species) [taxon 1168094], Rattus norvegicus (brown rat, species) [taxon 10116]

## Full text

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## References

127 references — full list in the complete paper: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12917594/full.md

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Source: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12917594