Pinene – Terpenes and Cannabinoid Research

Summary of Pinene Effects

Anti-inflammatory, antiedematous, and antioxidant in pancreatitis, obesity, and arthritis.

Maybe antiosteoarthritic with additional chondrocyte protective properties (via PGE-1, inhibiting IL-6, TNF-α, and NO production and suppressing MAPK and NF-κB activities, free radical and ROS scavenging, reducing the production of the pancreatic tumor necrosis factor, interleukin (IL)-1 beta, and IL-6 during the induction of acute pancreatitis, potent inhibition of the IL-1β-induced inflammatory and catabolic pathways in chondrocytes, reforming the extracellular matrix in human chondrocytes)

Analgesic and antinociceptive, independent of CB receptors, may help relieve migraine and neuropathic pain (via significant anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects through inhibiting nociceptive stimulus-induced inflammatory infiltrates and COX-2 overexpression, a potential partial agonist at the μ-opioid and GABAAreceptors)

Antifungal against candida and other yeast (via inhibiting fungal structures such as pseudo-hyphae and promoting a marked decrease in blastoconidia, disrupting cell membrane integrity, suppressing respiration and ion transportation, altering membrane permeability)

Anti-bacterial with broad-spectrum activity against E. Coli, MRSA, may help combat antibacterial drug resistance (via bacteriostatic-bactericidal action, alterations in bacterial cell DNA causing membrane destruction and lysis of the cell, inhibiting bacterial efflux pumps, and synergy with antibiotics)

Antiviral, may possess properties against SARS-CoV-2, HSV-1, and anti-infectious bronchitis virus (via binding to the active site of Mpro, human serine protease TMPRSS2, and spike glycoprotein of SARS-CoV-2 in-silico, inhibition of HSV-1 plaque formation, inhibition of IBV replication, inhibition of binding process between RNA and IBV N protein of (-)-α-pinene and (-)-β-pinene)

Anti-leishmanial, antimalarial, and anthelmintic activity against soil-transmitted nematodes (via macrophage stimulation with minimum cytotoxicity, oocyte, and parasite toxicity)

Anxiolytic, sedative, and potentially antidepressant may be helpful in insomnia (via GABAergic activity, increasing the 5-HT (serotonin) and decreasing 5-HIAA, activation of β-adrenergic receptor subtypes)

Antidiabetic agent, hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic, in diabetic mice decreased plasma glucose, triglyceride, VLDL, LDL, and HDL levels (via anti-inflammatory actions similar to and synergistic with glibenclamide, in part may block ATP-dependent K+ channels and the activation of LPL, mechanisms requiring further study)

Bronchodilation (via low-dose inhaled exposure in humans) May be cardioprotective and antihypertensive by considerably reducing heart rate and artery-generated blood pressure in rats (via actions on the vasomotor center of the medullary region of the brain and nucleus tractus solitarius)

Gastroprotective in preclinical studies with antiulcerogenic activity, potentially valuable for IBS as an antispasmodic, analgesic, and relaxing agent in the gut (via inhibition of cholinergic contraction, decreasing ethanol-induced gastric mucosa lesions and producing gastroprotective effects similar to ranitidine)

May increase the expulsion rate of ureteral stones (via potentially increasing urine excretion and antispasmodic effects, post-shock-wave lithotripsy administration)

Pinene is neuroprotective in cases of stroke and ischemia, may have  anticonvulsant activity, may help Alzheimer’s Disease, Parkinson’s Disease, and multiple sclerosis may assist in cognitive enhancement and neurogenesis, may counteract short-term memory deficits induced by THC intoxication (via GABAergic activity, significantly inhibiting acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects such as suppression of the TNF-α/NF-κB pathway, alleviates Aβ-induced oxidative/nitrosative stress, neuroinflammation, and behavioral deficits, reducing interleukin 1β and TNF-α in the cortex and striatum, potentially differentiates mesenchymal stem cells into neuronal and astroglial lineages)

Promotes wound healing (via generating scars with adequate tensile strength, accelerating wound closure, acting as an adhesive of primary intention, and contributing to collagen deposition)

Anticancer may inhibit cancer cell growth in the liver, ovaries, lung, leukemia, lymphoma, prostate, and squamous cells (via inhibiting tumor cell proliferation and blood vessel formation by reduction of VEGF expression, provoking oxidative stress, activating natural killer cells via ERK/AKT Pathway, inducing cell cycle arrest, pinocytic activity, and inducing apoptotic cell death via caspase activation)

May improve topical drug penetration and systemic drug delivery (via nano emulsification, acting as a surfactant, imparting the nanoemulsions with low interface energy, and reducing the amount of the surfactant needed for maintaining a stable formulation)

Last reviewed by Dr. Abraham Benavides, M.D., 07-29-2022