EVALUATION OF THE ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY OF THE MONOECIOUS HEMP (CANNABIS SATIVA L.) SEED OIL, VARIETY MARA 21.

Cannabis sativa L. is one well-known medicinal plant that has attracted interest recently and throughout the years. Our research aimed to highlight the antimicrobial activity of hemp seed oil, the Mara variety cultivated under the conditions of the University of Life Sciences in Timisoara, on 12 microbial strains. The results demonstrated antimicrobial efficacy dependent from one species to another, as follows: an upward trend, positively correlated with the concentration increase tested in the case of: Streptococcus pyogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, Shigella flexneri, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella typhimurium and Candida albicans with MIC between 0.2 mg/mL-8 mg/mL. As well as a downward trend, negatively correlated with concentration in the case of strains of Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes, Haemophilus influenzae, Bacillus cereus and Candida parapsilopsis, where MIC was present starting with the concentration of 0.2 mg/mL. In the case of certain strains (Clostridium perfringens), Cannabis sativa L. oil showed a pronounced strain-boosting effect, with significant stimulation of bacterial growth. The results support further research into the effect of Cannabis sativa L. vegetable oil as a potential antimicrobial agent for microbial strains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]