The hybrid congener 3 derived from hydroxychalcone and pharmacophore oxypropanolamine for adrenergic receptor, along with its enantiomers 9a and 9b were selected from a series of compounds for detailed studies of their antidiabetic profile in sucrose-challenged, low-dosed, streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats and in db/db mice, and antidyslipidaemic profile in high fat diet-induced dyslipidaemic hamsters. The test compounds exhibited significant and consistent antidiabetic and antidyslipidaemic activities in the above models.

To many, cannabis is a recreational drug; to some, it is a medicine. Now, it is increasingly seen as a crop, to be grown in quantity and engineered for better traits—not just pharmacological effects, but also fiber content and the rapid, efficient growth that makes a plant useful for biofuels. This month, in a special issue of Critical Reviews in Plant Sciences, researchers delve into all aspects of cannabis biology and ecology. The work sheds light on how the plant has diversified since it was first grown 8500 years ago in Eurasia.