Tag Archives: treatment

Turned-Off Cannabinoid Receptor Turns on Colorectal Tumor Growth – MDAnderson

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“Researchers find CB1 suppresses tumors, a new potential path for treatment, prevention.”

 “New preclinical research shows that cannabinoid cell surface receptor CB1 plays a tumor-suppressing role in human colorectal cancer, scientists report in the Aug. 1 edition of the journal Cancer Research.

CB1 is well-established for relieving pain and nausea, elevating mood and stimulating appetite by serving as a docking station for the cannabinoid group of signaling molecules. It now may serve as a new path for cancer prevention or treatment.

“Potential application of cannabinoids as anti-tumor drugs is an exciting prospect, because cannabinoid agonists are being evaluated now to treat the side-effects of chemotherapy and radiation therapy,” DuBois said.

 “Turning CB1 back on and then treating with a cannabinoid agonist could provide a new approach to colorectal cancer treatment or prevention.”

Cannabinoids are a group of ligands that serve a variety of cell-signaling roles. Some are produced by the body internally (endocannabinoids). External cannabinoids include manmade versions and those present in plants, most famously the active ingredient in marijuana (THC).”

More:  http://www.mdanderson.org/newsroom/news-releases/2008/turned-off-cannabinoid-receptor-turns-on-colorectal-tumor-growth.html

Turned-off Cannabinoid Receptor Turns On Colorectal Tumor Growth – CB1 Suppresses Tumors, A New Potential Path For Treatment, Prevention

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“New preclinical research shows that cannabinoid cell surface receptor CB1 plays a tumor-suppressing role in human colorectal cancer, scientists report in the Aug. 1 edition of the journal Cancer Research.

CB1 is well-established for relieving pain and nausea, elevating mood and stimulating appetite by serving as a docking station for the cannabinoid group of signaling molecules. It now may serve as a new path for cancer prevention or treatment.

“Potential application of cannabinoids as anti-tumor drugs is an exciting prospect, because cannabinoid agonists are being evaluated now to treat the side-effects of chemotherapy and radiation therapy,” DuBois said. “Turning CB1 back on and then treating with a cannabinoid agonist could provide a new approach to colorectal cancer treatment or prevention.”

Cannabinoids are a group of ligands that serve a variety of cell-signaling roles. Some are produced by the body internally (endocannabinoids). External cannabinoids include manmade versions and those present in plants, most famously the active ingredient in marijuana (THC).”

More: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/117055.php

Human Immunodeficiency Virus In Late-Stage AIDS Inhibited By Marijuana-Like Chemicals – MedicalNewsToday

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“Mount Sinai School of Medicine researchers have discovered that marijuana-like chemicals trigger receptors on human immune cells that can directly inhibit a type of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) found in late-stage AIDS, according to new findings published online in the journal PLoS ONE.

Medical marijuana is prescribed to treat pain, debilitating weight loss and appetite suppression, side effects that are common in advanced AIDS. This is the first study to reveal how the marijuana receptors found on immune cells – called cannabinoid receptors CB1 and CB2 – can influence the spread of the virus. Understanding the effect of these receptors on the virus could help scientists develop new drugs to slow the progression of AIDS.

“We knew that cannabinoid drugs like marijuana can have a therapeutic effect in AIDS patients, but did not understand how they influence the spread of the virus itself,” said study author Cristina Costantino, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Pharmacology and Systems Therapeutics at Mount Sinai School of Medicine. “We wanted to explore cannabinoid receptors as a target for pharmaceutical interventions that treat the symptoms of late-stage AIDS and prevent further progression of the disease without the undesirable side effects of medical marijuana.”

HIV infects active immune cells that carry the viral receptor CD4, which makes these cells unable to fight off the infection. In order to spread, the virus requires that “resting” immune cells be activated. In advanced AIDS, HIV mutates so it can infect these resting cells, gaining entry into the cell by using a signaling receptor called CXCR4. By treating the cells with a cannabinoid agonist that triggers CB2, Dr. Costantino and the Mount Sinai team found that CB2 blocked the signaling process, and suppressed infection in resting immune cells.

Triggering CB1 causes the drug high associated with marijuana, making it undesirable for physicians to prescribe. The researchers wanted to explore therapies that would target CB2 only. The Mount Sinai team infected healthy immune cells with HIV, then treated them with a chemical that triggers CB2 called an agonist. They found that the drug reduced the infection of the remaining cells.

“Developing a drug that triggers only CB2 as an adjunctive treatment to standard antiviral medication may help alleviate the symptoms of late-stage AIDS and prevent the virus from spreading,” said Dr. Costantino. Because HIV does not use CXCR4 to enhance immune cell infection in the early stages of infection, CB2 agonists appear to be an effective antiviral drug only in late-stage disease.

As a result of this discovery, the research team led by Benjamin Chen, MD, PhD, Associate Professor of Infectious Diseases, and Lakshmi Devi, PhD, Professor of Pharmacology and Systems Therapeutics at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, plans to develop a mouse model of late-stage AIDS in order to test the efficacy of a drug that triggers CB2 in vivo. In 2009 Dr. Chen was part of a team that captured on video for the first time the transfer of HIV from infected T-cells to uninfected T-cells.”

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/243183.php

Forbidden Medicine – WebMD

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“Laws and medicine clash over medicinal marijuana use. If it weren’t for his few daily tokes from marijuana cigarettes, Kiyoshi Kuromiya believes he would no longer be alive.The Philadelphia AIDS patient and activist had lost 40 pounds over a four-month period and spent most days nauseated before he began smoking pot in 1995 to boost an appetite suppressed by his disease.”Marijuana saved my life,” says Kuromiya, 57, who was diagnosed with AIDS in 1988. “It’s a great irony to me that I can buy cigarettes, which will kill me, anywhere. But marijuana, which has kept me breathing, is illegal.”Kuromiya and others with debilitating ailments have long argued that marijuana should be legally available when standard medical treatment can’t relieve a patient’s suffering and pain.”

More: http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/features/forbidden-medicine

Effects of Schedule I drug laws on neuroscience research and treatment innovation.

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“Many psychoactive drugs are used recreationally, particularly by young people. This use and its perceived dangers have led to many different classes of drugs being banned under national laws and international conventions.

 Indeed, the possession of cannabis, 3,4-methylenedioxy-N-methylamphetamine (MDMA; also known as ecstasy) and psychedelics is stringently regulated.

An important and unfortunate outcome of the controls placed on these and other psychoactive drugs is that they make research into their mechanisms of action and potential therapeutic uses – for example, in depression and post-traumatic stress disorder – difficult and in many cases almost impossible.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23756634

Antiproliferative mechanism of a cannabinoid agonist by cell cycle arrest in human gastric cancer cells.

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“For gastric cancers, the antineoplastic activity of cannabinoids has been investigated in only a few reports and knowledge regarding the mechanisms involved is limited. We have reported previously that treatment of gastric cancer cells with a cannabinoid agonist significantly decreased cell proliferation and induced apoptosis.

Here, we evaluated the effects of cannabinoids on various cellular mediators involved in cell cycle arrest in gastric cancer cells. AGS and MKN-1 cell lines were used as human gastric cancer cells and WIN 55,212-2 as a cannabinoid agonist.

 …Cell cycle arrest preceded apoptotic response. Thus, this cannabinoid agonist can reduce gastric cancer cell proliferation via G1 phase cell cycle arrest, which is mediated via activation of the MAPK pathway and inhibition of pAKT.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21312237

Medical Cannabis Use Doesn’t Adversely Impact Substance Abuse Treatment Outcomes, Study Says

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“The physician-supervised use of medical marijuana does not adversely affect the outcomes of individuals enrolled in substance abuse treatment programs, according to clinical trial data published last week in the Harm Reduction Journal.

An investigator at Humboldt State University in California assessed whether medical cannabis use was associated with negative outcomes in patients referred to a substance abuse treatment program.

The study reported that treatment outcomes for medically authorized cannabis users were comparable to those of subjects who were not supervised to use the drug.

“Cannabis use did not seem to compromise substance abuse treatment amongst the medical marijuana using group, who (based on these preliminary data) fared equal to or better than non-medical marijuana users in several important outcome categories (e.g., treatment completion, criminal justice involvement, medical concerns),” the study concluded. “This exploratory study suggests that medical marijuana … may not adversely affect positive treatment outcomes.””

http://norml.org/news/2010/03/19/medical-cannabis-use-doesn-t-adversely-impact-substance-abuse-treatment-outcomes-study-says

“Medical marijuana users in substance abuse treatment” Full Text: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2848643/

Even More Science Suggesting That Cannabinoids May Halt Diabetes

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“Preclinical study data published online in the scientific journal Nutrition & Diabetes reports that tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV) — a naturally occurring analogue of THC — possesses positive metabolic effects in animal models of obesity.

British researchers assessed the effects of THCV administration on dietary-induced and genetically modified obese mice. Authors reported that although THCV administration did not significantly affect food intake or body weight gain in any of the models, it did produce several metabolically beneficial effects, including reduced glucose intolerance, improved glucose tolerance, improved liver triglyceride levels, and increased insulin sensitivity.

Researchers concluded: “Based on these data, it can be suggested that THCV may be useful for the treatment of the metabolic syndrome and/or type 2 diabetes (adult onset diabetes), either alone or in combination with existing treatments. Given the reported benefits of another non-THC cannabinoid, CBD in type 1 diabetes, a CBD/THCV combination may be beneficial for different types of diabetes mellitus.””

More: http://beforeitsnews.com/marijuana-debate/2013/06/even-more-science-suggesting-that-cannabinoids-may-halt-diabetes-2444932.html

Looking at Cannabis Based Type 2 Treatment

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“One of the classic effects of cannabis on people is raging hunger-the “marijuana munchies.” The drug has been used to good effect on people with diseases that diminish appetite, helping them to regain a healthy interest in food. So it is a bit ironic that British drug maker GW Pharmaceuticals has created a cross-bred cannabis plant whose appetite-suppressing qualities could be used to treat type 2 diabetes.”

 
“The new strain contains an appetite-suppressing compound called THCV (tetrahydrocannabivarin), a cannabinoid* found in cannabis sativa-marijuana. The company sees a drug that uses THCV as potentially useful in helping type 2s and obese people control their appetites-a key to good blood sugar control.

In 2010, GW introduced a cannabis-based drug to treat the symptoms of multiple sclerosis. Already, the company has found 60 cannabinoids in the cannabis sativa plant. A company spokesman says that only 12 to 15 of them have been explored in any depth.

*Cannabinoids are the active ingredients in cannabis sativa that create the plant’s physical and mental effects when it is ingested or smoked.”

http://diabeteshealth.com/read/2011/06/30/7200/looking-at-cannabis-based-type-2-treatment/

The cannabinoid Δ9-tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV) ameliorates insulin sensitivity in two mouse models of obesity

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“Δ9-Tetra-hydrocannabivarin (THCV) is a naturally occurring analogue of the psychoactive principle of cannabis, Δ9-tetra-hydrocannabinol (THC).

THCV is a new potential treatment against obesity-associated glucose intolerance with pharmacology different from that of CB1 inverse agonists/antagonists.

In conclusion, THCV produces therapeutic metabolic effects in two different mouse models of obesity. In particular, its strongest effects are exerted on plasma glucose and insulin levels, especially following an OGTT in DIO mice and on liver triglycerides in ob/obmice.

Based on these data, it can be suggested that THCV may be useful for the treatment of the metabolic syndrome and/or type 2 diabetes, either alone or in combination with existing treatments. Given the reported benefits of another non-THC cannabinoid, CBD in type 1 diabetes, a CBD/THCV combination may be beneficial for different types of diabetes mellitus.”

Full Text: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3671751/