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Cannabis-Derived Compounds Against Plasmodium sp.: A Systematic Review of Preclinical Studies
Tácio de Mendonça Lima1, Luann Wendel Pereira de Sena2, Ana Carolina Corrêa de Sousa3
1Department of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Administration, Faculty of Pharmacy, Fluminense Federal University, Niteroi, Brazil.
Objective:
This study aims to evaluate preclinical studies on the effects and toxicity of cannabis-derived compounds against Plasmodium sp.
Methods:
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.
Results:
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.
Conclusions:
Future studies should provide more comprehensive details on study design and further validate these findings, especially concerning toxicity.
