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Industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa L.), due to its bioactive compounds (terpenes and cannabinoids), has gained increasing interest in different fields, including for medical purposes. The evaluation of the safety profile of hemp essential oil (EO) and its encapsulated form (nanoemulsion, NE) is a relevant aspect for potential therapeutic applications. This study aimed to evaluate the toxicological effect of hemp EOs and NEs from cultivars Carmagnola CS and Uso 31 on three cell lines selected as models for topical and inhalant administration, by evaluating the cytotoxicity and the cytokine expression profiles. Results show that EOs and their NEs have comparable cytotoxicity, if considering the quantity of EO present in the NE. Moreover, cells treated with EOs and NEs showed, in most of the cases, lower levels of proinflammatory cytokines compared to Etoposide used as a positive control, and the basal level of inflammatory cytokines was not altered, suggesting a safety profile of hemp EOs and their NEs to support their use for medical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most insecticides commonly used in storage facilities are synthetic, an issue that generates concerns about food safety and public health. Therefore, the development of eco-friendly pest management tools is urgently needed. In the present study, a 6% (w/w) Hazomalania voyronii essential oil-based nanoemulsion (HvNE) was developed and evaluated for managing Tribolium confusum, T. castaneum, and Tenebrio molitor, as an eco-friendly wheat protectant. Larval and adult mortality was evaluated after 4, 8, and 16 h, and 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 days, testing two HvNE concentrations (500 ppm and 1000 ppm). T. confusum and T. castaneum adults and T. molitor larvae were tolerant to both concentrations of the HvNE, reaching 13.0%, 18.7%, and 10.3% mortality, respectively, at 1000 ppm after 7 days of exposure. However, testing HvNE at 1000 ppm, the mortality of T. confusum and T. castaneum larvae and T. molitor adults 7 days post-exposure reached 92.1%, 97.4%, and 100.0%, respectively. Overall, the HvNE can be considered as an effective adulticide or larvicide, depending on the target species. Our results highlight the potential of H. voyronii essential oil for developing green nanoinsecticides to be used in real-world conditions against key stored-product pests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flavours and fragrances are volatile compounds of large interest for different applications. Due to their high tendency of evaporation and, in most cases, poor chemical stability, these compounds need to be encapsulated for handling and industrial processing. Encapsulation, indeed, resulted in being effective at overcoming the main concerns related to volatile compound manipulation, and several industrial products contain flavours and fragrances in an encapsulated form for the final usage of customers. Although several organic or inorganic materials have been investigated for the production of coated micro- or nanosystems intended for the encapsulation of fragrances and flavours, polymeric coating, leading to the formation of micro- or nanocapsules with a core-shell architecture, as well as a molecular inclusion complexation with cyclodextrins, are still the most used. The present review aims to summarise the recent literature about the encapsulation of fragrances and flavours into polymeric micro- or nanocapsules or inclusion complexes with cyclodextrins, with a focus on methods for micro/nanoencapsulation and applications in the different technological fields, including the textile, cosmetic, food and paper industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Among the various innovative products obtainable from hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) waste biomass originating from different industrial processes, the essential oil (EO) deserves special attention in order to understand its possible application in different fields, such as cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and botanical insecticides. For the purpose, in the present work, we studied the chemical composition of EOs obtained from different hemp varieties, namely Felina 32 and Carmagnola Selezionata (CS) using monoecious, male, and female inflorescences, and we evaluated their mosquitocidal activities on larvae and pupae of two main malaria vectors, Anopheles gambiae and An. stephensi. Then, in order to evaluate the safe use of hemp EOs for operators, the potential pro- or anti-inflammatory effect of hemp EOs together with their toxicological profile were determined on dermal fibroblasts and keratinocytes. Given the promising results obtained by insecticidal and anti-inflammatory studies, a preliminary evaluation of EOs encapsulation into nanoemulsions (NEs) has been performed with the aim to develop a formulation able to improve their poor physicochemical stability. Felina 32 and CS inflorescences provided EOs with an interesting chemical profile, with monoterpene and sesquiterpene hydrocarbons as the major components. This study highlighted the potential application of male inflorescences, which are usually discharged during hemp product processing. These EOs could be exploited as potential sustainable and eco-friendly insecticides, given their capability to be toxic against mosquitoes and the possibility to use them to prepare stable and safe formulations. The LC50 values found in this study (<80 ppm) are lower, on average, than those of many plant EOs, with the advantage of using an industrial waste product. From MTT assay and gene and protein expression analysis, EOs showed no cytotoxicity at the appropriate doses and exerted an anti-inflammatory effect on the human cell lines tested. These findings encourage further applied research on hemp EOs in order support their industrial exploitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]