Don't discard Cannabis leaves – they contain rare flavoalkaloids

IOL News

4 days ago

Researchers at Stellenbosch University have made a groundbreaking discovery, identifying rare flavoalkaloids in Cannabis leaves that could revolutionise its pharmaceutical applications.
Image: File
In a groundbreaking discovery, researchers at Stellenbosch University have identified a rare class of chemical compounds, flavoalkaloids in the leaves of Cannabis plants for the first time.
These compounds, known for their antioxidant and anti-carcinogenic properties, could open new doors for the pharmaceutical use of Cannabis beyond its well-known cannabinoids.
Published in the Journal of Chromatography A, the study details the work of analytical chemists who used cutting-edge laboratory techniques to investigate the phenolic content of three Cannabis strains grown commercially in South Africa.
Out of the 79 phenolic compounds identified, 25 were previously unreported in Cannabis. Sixteen of those are believed to be flavoalkaloids, compounds so rare that they've barely been detected in nature.
Dr Magriet Muller, lead author and researcher at SU's Central Analytical Facility detailed what it meant: "We know that Cannabis is extremely complex, it contains more than 750 metabolites but we did not expect such high variation in phenolic profiles between only three strains, nor to detect so many compounds for the first time in the species.
"Especially the first evidence of flavoalkaloids in Cannabis was very exciting.'
Dr Muller's research focused on phenolic compounds, which are widely recognised for their therapeutic properties.
Dr Magriet Muller in front of a high-resolution mass spectrometer at the LC-MS laboratory in Stellenbosch University's Central Analytical Facility, where part of the practical work was conducted.
Image: Wiida Fourie-Basson/Stellenbosch University
While flavonoids another group of phenolics are common in plants, flavoalkaloids are scarcely found. These compounds are highly valued in biomedical research for their potential in combating inflammation, oxidative stress, and even cancer.
Using a powerful combination of two-dimensional liquid chromatography and high-resolution mass spectrometry, the researchers were able to separate and identify the flavoalkaloids, which were mainly present in the leaves of one specific Cannabis strain.
Professor André de Villiers, head of the analytical chemistry research group at SU and senior author on the study explained: "The excellent performance of two-dimensional liquid chromatography allowed separation of the flavoalkaloids from the much more abundant flavonoids.