# Dietary Cannabis Seed Supplementation Attenuates Inflammation and Pancreatic Injury in a Cerulein-Induced Acute Pancreatitis Mouse Model

## TL;DR

Cannabis seeds may help reduce inflammation and pancreatic damage in a mouse model of acute pancreatitis.

## Contribution

This study is the first to investigate the anti-inflammatory effects of cannabis seed supplementation in acute pancreatitis.

## Key findings

- Cannabis seed extract reduced pancreatic injury and inflammation in mice with acute pancreatitis.
- Cannabis seed extract suppressed proinflammatory cytokine expression in the pancreas.
- Alpha-linolenic acid was identified as a key component of cannabis seed extract.

## Abstract

Cannabis seed (CS), also known as hemp seed, is a nutrient-dense plant-derived food material rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids and bioactive components with reported anti-inflammatory properties. However, potential nutritional effects of CS on acute pancreatitis (AP), an inflammation-driven disease with limited dietary management strategies, have not yet been investigated. In this study, we examined the effects of dietary CS extract in a cerulein-induced AP mouse model. CS extract (5, 10, or 50 mg/kg) or vehicle (dimethyl sulfoxide) was orally administered 1 h prior to cerulein injection, and mice were euthanized 6 h after the final challenge. Oral supplementation with CS significantly attenuated AP severity, indicated by reducing pancreatic weight-to-body weight ratio, serum amylase and lipase activities, histopathological pancreatic injury, and pancreatic myeloperoxidase activity. CS administration alleviated AP-associated acute lung injury; markedly suppressing pancreatic mRNA expression of proinflammatory cytokines, including interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor-α. High-performance liquid chromatography analysis identified α-linolenic acid, an omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid, as a major nutritional component of CS extract. Collectively, these findings suggest that CS supplementation may contribute to nutritional modulation of inflammatory responses and systemic organ injury in experimental AP, supporting its potential as a functional food ingredient in inflammation-associated pancreatic disorders.