In Vitro and In Vivo Anti-Inflammatory Potential of Cannabichromene Isolated from Hemp

cv. pink pepper (hemp cultivar). The efficacy of CBC in reducing inflammation in RAW 264.7 macrophages and a λ-carrageenan-induced mouse model was then evaluated. CBC had no cytotoxicity up to a concentration of 20 μM and inhibited nitric oxide production by approximately 50% at a concentration of 20 μM. In addition, CBC treatment significantly inhibited causes of inflammation such as inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) at both the mRNA and protein levels. Moreover, CBC suppressed LPS-stimulated inflammation in RAW 264.7 cells by downregulating the nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kB) and mitogen-activated protein kinase pathways (MAPK). Furthermore, our in vivo experiments confirmed that the λ-carrageenan-induced increase in the levels of the cytokines iNOS, IL-1β, and IL-6 was abrogated following treatment with CBC. Therefore, CBC has potential anti-inflammatory effects and may be useful for preventing or treating inflammation.