“Background: Accumulating evidence suggests that cannabidiol (CBD) exerts variable effects on cancer cells that influence cellular activity, including growth. While anecdotal evidence abounds, mechanistic studies have lagged.

Methods: Malme-3M cells derived from melanoma and less-aggressive BJ fibroblast cells were incubated with CBD. CE-MS mass spectroscopy was used to measure metabolite changes resulting from CBD treatment.

Results: Data indicate a differential response between malignant Malme-3M cells and BJ fibroblasts with respect to metabolites critical for primary metabolic function. A significant reduction in TCA metabolites is seen with a corresponding increase in glycolytic output in the Malme-3M cell line. A similar reduction in TCA activity in BJ fibroblasts appears to differentially activate fatty acid oxidation. ATP is significantly reduced in the Malme-3M cells with a corresponding decrease in metabolites associated with redox maintenance.

Conclusions: This is the first metabolomics analyses of malignant Malme-3M cells and less-aggressive BJ fibroblasts after pre-treatment with CBD. The data suggest that the CBD-induced metabolic perturbation could reprogram cellular metabolism and affect ATP production and redox maintenance of the more-aggressive Malme-3M cells.”

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41296432

“For the first time, an analysis of metabolomics of both less-aggressive BJ fibroblasts and malignant Malme-3M cells after pre-treatment with CBD has been made. As a result of CBD treatment, there is reprogramming of key metabolic processes including the TCA cycle, redox maintenance, and fatty acid oxidation. While more studies are needed to fully elucidate the mechanistic effects of CBD treatment, there is a clear and differential cellular metabolic consequence of CBD treatment between these cell types.”

https://www.mdpi.com/1467-3045/47/11/928

“This title means that the compound cannabidiol (CBD) disrupts the metabolism of Malme-3M cancer cells by forcing them to switch from their normal energy-producing processes to a more primitive, less efficient one called glycolysis, and by throwing off their cellular “redox” balance (a state of chemical reactions that are key to maintaining cell health). This metabolic disruption is a mechanism through which CBD may have anti-cancer effects.”