Arachidonylethanolamide induces apoptosis of human glioma cells through vanilloid receptor-1.

Posted on May 7, 2015 by David

“The anti-tumor properties of cannabinoids have recently been evidenced, mainly with delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).

Here we investigated whether the most potent endogenous cannabinoid, arachidonylethanolamide (AEA), could be a candidate.

We observed that AEA induced apoptosis in long-term and recently established glioma cell lines via aberrantly expressed vanilloid receptor-1 (VR1).

In contrast with their role in THC-mediated death, both CB1 and CB2 partially protected glioma against AEA-induced apoptosis.

These data show that the selective targeting of VR1 by AEA or more stable analogues is an attractive research area for the treatment of glioma.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15453094

http://www.thctotalhealthcare.com/category/gllomas/

Cannabidiol effects in the prepulse inhibition disruption induced by amphetamine.

Posted on May 7, 2015 by David

“Drugs that facilitate dopaminergic neurotransmission such as amphetamine induce PPI disruption in human and rodents.

Clinical and neurobiological findings suggest that the endocannabinoid system and cannabinoids may be implicated in the pathophysiology and treatment of schizophrenia.

Cannabidiol (CBD), a non-psychotomimetic constituent of the Cannabis sativa plant, has also been reported to have potential as an antipsychotic.

Our aim was to investigate if CBD pretreatment was able to prevent PPI disruption induced by amphetamine…

Pretreatment with CBD attenuated the amphetamine-disruptive effects…

These results corroborate findings indicating that CBD induces antipsychotic-like effects.

In addition, they pointed to the nucleus accumbens as a possible site of these effects.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25943166

http://www.thctotalhealthcare.com/category/schizophrenia/

Perceived efficacy of cannabidiol-enriched cannabis extracts for treatment of pediatric epilepsy: A potential role for infantile spasms and Lennox-Gastaut syndrome.

Posted on May 6, 2015 by David

“There is a great need for safe and effective therapies for treatment of infantile spasms (IS) and Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS). Based on anecdotal reports and limited experience in an open-label trial, cannabidiol (CBD) has received tremendous attention as a potential treatment for pediatric epilepsy, especially Dravet syndrome.

We sought to document the experiences of children with IS and/or LGS who have been treated with CBD-enriched cannabis preparations.

Perceived efficacy and tolerability were similar across etiologic subgroups.

Eighty-five percent of all parents reported a reduction in seizure frequency, and 14% reported complete seizure freedom.

Reported side effects were far less common during CBD exposure, with the exception of increased appetite (30%).

A high proportion of respondents reported improvement in sleep (53%), alertness (71%), and mood (63%) during CBD therapy… this study suggests a potential role for CBD in the treatment of refractory childhood epilepsy including IS and LGS…”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25935511

“Safety and side effects of cannabidiol, a Cannabis sativa constituent.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22129319

“Cannabidiol, a safe and non-psychotropic ingredient of the marijuana plant Cannabis sativa…” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19690824

http://www.thctotalhealthcare.com/category/epilepsy-2/

New quinolone- and 1,8-naphthyridine-3-carboxamides as selective CB2 receptor agonists with anticancer and immuno-modulatory activity.

Posted on May 6, 2015 by David

“Several recent studies suggest that selective CB2 receptor agonists may represent a valid pharmacological approach in the treatment of various diseases due to the absence of relevant psychoactive side effect…

Two compounds showing the best binding and selectivity profile behaved as a full agonist and a partial agonist at the CB2 receptor and induced a concentration-dependent decrease of cell viability on LNCaP, a prostatic cancer cell line expressing CB2 receptor.

Moreover considering that the CB2 receptor is mainly expressed in cells and organs of the immune system, the same compounds were studied for their potential immune-modulatory and anti-inflammatory effects in activated lymphocytes isolated from healthy controls and multiple sclerosis (MS) patients.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25935384

Enhancement of endocannabinoid signalling protects against cocaine-induced neurotoxicity.

Posted on May 3, 2015 by David

“Cocaine is an addictive substance with a potential to cause deleterious effects in the brain. The strategies for treating its neurotoxicity, however, are limited.

Evidence suggest that the endocannabinoid system exerts neuroprotective functions against various stimuli. Thus, we hypothesized that inhibition of fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH), the main enzyme responsible for terminating the actions of the endocannabinoid anandamide, reduces seizures and cell death in the hippocampus in a model of cocaine intoxication…

In conclusion, the pharmacological facilitation of the anandamide/CB1/PI3K signalling protects the brain against cocaine intoxication in experimental models. This strategy may be further explored in the development of treatments for drug-induced neurotoxicity.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25933444

http://www.thctotalhealthcare.com/category/addiction/

Differential role of cannabinoids in the pathogenesis of skin cancer.

Posted on April 30, 2015 by David

“Cannabinoids (CB) like ∆9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) can induce cancer cell apoptosis and inhibit angiogenesis.

Here we investigated the role of exogenous and endogenous cannabinoids in mouse skin cancer.

THC significantly inhibited tumor growth of transplanted HCmel12 melanomas in a CB receptor-dependent manner in vivo through antagonistic effects on its characteristic pro-inflammatory microenvironment.

Our results confirm the value of exogenous cannabinoids for the treatment of melanoma…”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25921771

http://www.thctotalhealthcare.com/category/melanoma/

Inhaled cannabis reduces pain in diabetic peripheral neuropathy patients, study suggests

Posted on April 29, 2015 by David

“A small study finds that inhaling cannabis could demonstrate a dose-dependent pain reduction in patients with diabetic peripheral neuropathy.

Researchers at the University of California, United States conducted a study in which 16 patients with painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy were given placebo, or single doses of cannabis.

These doses were either low (one per cent tetrahydrocannibinol, THC), medium (four per cent THC) or high (seven per cent THC).

Tests were first performed on baseline spontaneous pain, evoked pain and cognitive function. Subsequently, participants either inhaled the cannabis or placebo, with measurements of pain intensity and cognitive function assessed over a three-hour period.

The higher the content of THC participants inhaled, the less pain they felt. The high dose of THC had a significant effect when researchers evoked pain using foam brush and von Frey.

These are tools used to test neuropathic pain in patients – von Frey are a set of filaments that test the pain of a patients by pushing against the skin to assess when the sensation becomes painful.

Patients on the high dose of THC showed impaired performance on the neuropsychological tests, but researchers concluded the pain reduction of patients adds further evidence on the efficacy of cannabis in treating diabetic peripheral neuropathy.

The results of this study were published in the Journal of Pain and Palliative Care Pharmacology.

Earlier this month, the CBD compound in cannabis was reported by researchers as a potential treatment for diabetes.”

http://www.diabetes.co.uk/news/2015/apr/inhaled-cannabis-reduces-pain-in-diabetic-peripheral-neuropathy-patients,-study-suggests-95680845.html

“Efficacy of Inhaled Cannabis on Painful Diabetic Neuropathy.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25843054

http://www.thctotalhealthcare.com/category/diabetes/

The Antitumor Activity of Plant-Derived Non-Psychoactive Cannabinoids.

Posted on April 29, 2015 by David

“As a therapeutic agent, most people are familiar with the palliative effects of the primary psychoactive constituent of Cannabis sativa (CS), Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), a molecule active at both the cannabinoid 1 (CB1) and cannabinoid 2 (CB2) receptor subtypes.

Through the activation primarily of CB1 receptors in the central nervous system, THC can reduce nausea, emesis and pain in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.

During the last decade, however, several studies have now shown that CB1 and CB2 receptor agonists can act as direct antitumor agents in a variety of aggressive cancers.

In addition to THC, there are many other cannabinoids found in CS, and a majority produces little to no psychoactivity due to the inability to activate cannabinoid receptors.

For example, the second most abundant cannabinoid in CS is the non-psychoactive cannabidiol (CBD). Using animal models, CBD has been shown to inhibit the progression of many types of cancer including glioblastoma (GBM), breast, lung, prostate and colon cancer.

This review will center on mechanisms by which CBD, and other plant-derived cannabinoids inefficient at activating cannabinoid receptors, inhibit tumor cell viability, invasion, metastasis, angiogenesis, and the stem-like potential of cancer cells.

We will also discuss the ability of non-psychoactive cannabinoids to induce autophagy and apoptotic-mediated cancer cell death, and enhance the activity of first-line agents commonly used in cancer treatment.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25916739

http://www.thctotalhealthcare.com/category/cancer/

Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabidiol, but not ondansetron, interfere with conditioned retching reactions elicited by a lithium-paired context in Suncus murinus: An animal model of anticipatory nausea and vomiting.

Posted on April 28, 2015 by David

“Chemotherapy patients report not only acute nausea and vomiting during the treatment itself, but also report anticipatory nausea and vomiting upon re-exposure to the cues associated with the treatment.

We present a model of anticipatory nausea based on the emetic reactions of the Suncus murinus (musk shrew). Following three pairings of a novel distinctive contextual cue with the emetic effects of an injection of lithium chloride, the context acquired the potential to elicit conditioned retching in the absence of the toxin.

The expression of this conditioned retching reaction was completely suppressed by pretreatment with each of the principal cannabinoids found in marijuana, Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol or cannabidiol, at a dose that did not suppress general activity.

These results support anecdotal claims that marijuana, but not ondansetron, may suppress the expression of anticipatory nausea.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16197970

http://www.thctotalhealthcare.com/category/nauseavomiting/

Effects of cannabinoids on lithium-induced conditioned rejection reactions in a rat model of nausea.

Posted on April 27, 2015 by David

“Marijuana has been reported to suppress nausea produced by chemotherapy treatment in human cancer patients.

… there is abundant evidence that cannabinoid agonists attenuate vomiting in emetic species…

The present experiments evaluated the potential of low doses of the cannabinoid agonists, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC; 0.5 mg/kg, i.p.), and HU-210 (0.001 mg/kg and 0.01 mg/kg, i.p.), and the CB(1) antagonist SR-141716A in modulating the establishment and the expression of lithium-induced conditioned rejection reactions in rats.

These results indicate that the establishment and the expression of lithium-induced conditioned rejection reactions are suppressed by pretreatment with cannabinoid agents.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12528012

http://www.thctotalhealthcare.com/category/nauseavomiting/