Hemp extract safety for dermatological application

The skin immune response is regulated by epidermal keratinocytes, lymphocytes and dendritic cells, by the releasing of cytokines, chemokines, growth factors and activation of specific transcription factors. An aberrant regulation of this immune response causes an inflammatory condition [1]. Many studies suggest the use of cannabinoids for the management of different inflammatory dermal conditions because the endocannabinoid system is present in the skin and has a role in maintaining its homeostasis, by regulating inflammation, immune modulation, cell proliferation and differentiation [1,2]. Cannabinoids showed anti-inflammatory and anti-pruritic activity through CB1 and CB2 receptors dependent mechanisms [1,2]. So, the endocannabinoid system is being studying to treat many inflammatory skin conditions, such as atopic dermatitis, contact dermatitis, psoriasis, acne, with pharmacological products available on the market [1,2]. We analysed the effect of CBD on human keratinocyte cell line (HaCaT) and human dermal fibroblasts (NHF A12) to assess its safety on an in vitro skin model. CBD not only showed a safety profile since did not increase the expression of the main inflammatory markers, but it reduced their basal expression. On the bases of these results, we also tested some essential oils (EOs) derived from hemp (Cannabis sativa) with low fraction of cannabinoids and their effect on the inflammatory markers. Results showed that also the EOs did not increase the basal expression of the inflammatory markers on the same cell lines [3]. These results suggest that the use of purified compounds as well as EOs derived from hemp would be safety for a topical use, and the next step should be the evaluation of their anti-inflammatory activity in a condition of dermal inflammation.