Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Feb 16;11(1):3927.
doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-83290-1.

Biochemical aspects of seeds from Cannabis sativa L. plants grown in a mountain environment

Chiara Cattaneo  1 , Annalisa Givonetti  2 , Valeria Leoni  3   4 , Nicoletta Guerrieri  5 , Marcello Manfredi  6 , Annamaria Giorgi  3   4 , Maria Cavaletto  2
Affiliations

Biochemical aspects of seeds from Cannabis sativa L. plants grown in a mountain environment

Chiara Cattaneo et al. Sci Rep. .

Abstract

Cannabis sativa L. (hemp) is a versatile plant which can adapt to various environmental conditions. Hempseeds provide high quality lipids, mainly represented by polyunsaturated acids, and highly digestible proteins rich of essential aminoacids. Hempseed composition can vary according to plant genotype, but other factors such as agronomic and climatic conditions can affect the presence of nutraceutic compounds. In this research, seeds from two cultivars of C. sativa (Futura 75 and Finola) grown in a mountain environment of the Italian Alps were analyzed. The main purpose of this study was to investigate changes in the protein profile of seeds obtained from such environments, using two methods (sequential and total proteins) for protein extraction and two analytical approaches SDS-PAGE and 2D-gel electrophoresis, followed by protein identification by mass spectrometry. The fatty acids profile and carotenoids content were also analysed. Mountain environments mainly affected fatty acid and protein profiles of Finola seeds. These changes were not predictable by the sole comparison of certified seeds from Futura 75 and Finola cultivars. The fatty acid profile confirmed a high PUFA content in both cultivars from mountain area, while protein analysis revealed a decrease in the protein content of Finola seeds from the experimental fields.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
2D-PAGE of albumin fraction of Finola (on the upper part of the image) and Futura 75 (on the lower part of the image) certified seeds (on the left), or obtained from the experimental fields of Crodo (middle) and Viganella (right).
Figure 2
Figure 2
2D-PAGE of globulin fraction of Finola (on the upper part of the image) and Futura 75 (on the lower part of the image) certified seeds (on the left), or obtained from the experimental fields of Crodo (middle) and Viganella (right).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Representative 2D gel of the albumin fraction: the spots identified by MS analysis are numbered.
Figure 4
Figure 4
2D gel of the albumin fraction from samples of Finola grown in Viganella: the spots identified by MS analysis are indicated by numbers and letters.
Figure 5
Figure 5
SDS-PAGE of total protein extracts of harvested seeds from the experimental fields of Crodo and Viganella and from certified (Cert) seeds of Futura 75 (1) and Finola (2) hemp varieties.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Overlapping images from 2D-gels of total protein extracts: certified and harvested seeds from the experimental field of Viganella, Finola and Futura 75 varieties. The three areas (A, B, C) define gel zones mainly affected by changes in protein distribution.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Faux A-M, et al. The relationship of stem and seed yields to flowering phenology and sex expression in monoecious hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) Eur. J. Agron. 2013;47:11–22. doi: 10.1016/j.eja.2013.01.006. - DOI
    1. Farag, S. & Kayser, O. The Cannabis plant: botanical aspects. In Handbook of Cannabis and Related Pathologies: Biology, Pharmacology, Diagnosis, and Treatment 3–12 (2017). 10.1016/B978-0-12-800756-3.00001-6.
    1. Sirikantaramas S, et al. Tetrahydrocannabinolic acid synthase, the enzyme controlling marijuana psychoactivity, is secreted into the storage cavity of the glandular trichomes. Plant Cell Physiol. 2005;46:1578–1582. doi: 10.1093/pcp/pci166. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Farinon, B., Molinari, R., Costantini, L. & Merendino, N. The seed of industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa L.): nutritional quality and potential functionality for human health and nutrition. Nutrients12, (2020). - PMC - PubMed
    1. Salentijn EMJ, Zhang Q, Amaducci S, Yang M, Trindade LM. New developments in fiber hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) breeding. FIBRE CROPS Prod. End Use. 2015;68:32–41. doi: 10.1016/j.indcrop.2014.08.011. - DOI

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources