“Cannabidiol (CBD) is a chemical obtained from Cannabis sativa; it has therapeutic effects on anxiety and cognition and anti-inflammatory properties. Although pharmacological applications of CBD in many types of tumors have recently been reported, the mechanism of action of CBD is not yet fully understood. In this study, we perform an mRNA-seq analysis to identify the target genes of CBD after determining the cytotoxic concentrations of CBD using an MTT assay. CBD treatment regulated the expression of genes related to DNA repair and cell division, with metallothionein (MT) family genes being identified as having highly increased expression levels induced by CBD. It was also found that the expression levels of MT family genes were decreased in colorectal cancer tissues compared to those in normal tissues, indicating that the downregulation of MT family genes might be highly associated with colorectal tumor progression. A qPCR experiment revealed that the expression levels of MT family genes were increased by CBD. Moreover, MT family genes were regulated by CBD or crude extract but not by other cannabinoids, suggesting that the expression of MT family genes was specifically induced by CBD. A synergistic effect between CBD and MT gene transfection or zinc ion treatment was found. In conclusion, MT family genes as novel target genes could synergistically increase the anticancer activity of CBD by regulating the zinc ions in human colorectal cancer cells.”
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38068944/
“In conclusion, CBD requires the expression of MT family genes for its anticancer activity during cancer treatment, suggesting that CBD can affect the expression of genes involved in zinc homeostasis via MT family gene expression. These current results suggest that the regulation of zinc levels could play an important role in allowing CBD to exert enhanced anticancer effects. Although CBD treatment has shown anticancer effects on many types of cancers, its molecular mechanism remains unclear. In this study, we explained the possible interactions of MT genes, metal ions, and CBD for anticancer effects. The results of this study might provide an important clue for uncovering the mechanisms involved in the anticancer effects of CBD, such as through the regulation of intracellular homeostasis of metal ions.”