“Cannabis and tobacco smoke are not equally carcinogenic… Cannabis smoke contains cannabinoids whereas tobacco smoke contains nicotine (plus added carcinogens). Available scientific data, that examines the carcinogenic properties of inhaling smoke and its biological consequences, suggests reasons why tobacco smoke, but not cannabis smoke, may result in lung cancer… Furthermore, compounds found in cannabis have been shown to kill numerous cancer types including: lung cancer, breast and prostate, leukemia and lymphoma, glioma, skin cancer, and pheochromocytoma…”-
“Carcinogens found in tobacco are also concentrated in marijuana, but the latter also contains high levels of cannabinoids, bioactive compounds responsible for several effects such as euphoria and analgesia. However, Δ(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ(9)-THC), the major psychotropic cannabinoid found in plants, causes a reduction of cellular metabolism and induction of apoptosis (progarmmed cell death), both of which are anti-neoplastic properties…”
“Stiff-person syndrome (SPS) is an uncommon and disabling disorder… Cannabis derivatives [tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD)] are available as an oromucosal spray (Sativex(®)… Our objective is to report a case of seronegative SPS successfully treated with THC-CBD oromucosal spray… THC-CBC can be an option for SPS patient. Our case report suggests that THC-CBD oromucosal spray is an alternative treatment for patients with refractory SPS…”
“Cannabinoid-mediated antinociception is enhanced in rat osteoarthritic (OA) knees… application of the CB(1) agonist significantly reduced the firing rate of afferent nerve fibers… These findings indicate that activation of peripheral CB(1) receptors reduces the mechanosensitivity of afferent nerve fibers in control and OA knee joints. As such, peripheral CB(1) receptors may be important targets in controlling OA pain.”
“Cannabis-based medicines have a number of therapeutic indications, including anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects… cannabis-based drugs have therapeutic potential in inflammatory diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and multiple sclerosis (MS)…aim of this study was to determine whether the key elements of the endocannabinoid signalling system.. are expressed in the synovia of patients with osteoarthritis (OA) or RA… Our data predict that the cannabinoid receptor system present in the synovium may be an important therapeutic target for the treatment of pain and inflammation associated with OA and RA.”
“We observe significant improvement of symptoms of FM in patients using cannabis… knowledge of the endocannabinoid system and the role of the stress system in the pathopysiology of FM suggest a new approach to the suffering of these patients… results together with previous evidence seem to confirm the beneficial effects of cannabinoids on FM symptoms.”
“The hemp plant Cannabis sativa produces unique compounds known as cannabinoids, of which Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the most important… The present study was undertaken to investigate the antitumoral action of cannabinoids in pancreatic cancer and the molecular mechanisms involved in that effect… Cannabinoids induce apoptosis of pancreatic tumor cells via endoplasmic reticulum stress-related genes…These findings may contribute to set the basis for a new therapeutic approach for the treatment of pancreatic cancer.”
Researchers found that Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) reduced the growth of multiple human breast cancer cell lines by stopping cells from progressing through the cell cycle and by triggering apoptosis, or programmed cell death. THC blocked the cells at the G2-M stage by reducing Cdc2, a protein needed for cell division, and breast cancer cells engineered to produce more Cdc2 became more resistant to THC.
The study also found that aggressive ER-negative breast cancer cells were particularly sensitive to THC, while normal human mammary epithelial cells were much less affected. THC’s effects were largely associated with CB2 cannabinoid receptors, which were more highly expressed in higher-grade tumors and in ER-negative, PR-negative and HER2-positive breast tumors, while CB2 expression was barely detectable in normal breast tissue.
The researchers concluded that these findings could help form the basis for new cannabinoid-based strategies for managing breast cancer.
“It has been proposed that cannabinoids are involved in the control of cell fate. Thus, these compounds can modulate proliferation, differentiation, and survival in different manners depending on the cell type and its physiopathologic context. However, little is known about the effect of cannabinoids on the cell cycle, the main process controlling cell fate.
Here, we show that Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), through activation of CB(2) cannabinoid receptors, reduces human breast cancer cell proliferation by blocking the progression of the cell cycle and by inducing apoptosis. In particular, THC arrests cells in G(2)-M via down-regulation of Cdc2, as suggested by the decreased sensitivity to THC acquired by Cdc2-overexpressing cells.
Of interest, the proliferation pattern of normal human mammary epithelial cells was much less affected by THC. We also analyzed by real-time quantitative PCR the expression of CB(1) and CB(2) cannabinoid receptors in a series of human breast tumor and nontumor samples. We found a correlation between CB(2) expression and histologic grade of the tumors. There was also an association between CB(2) expression and other markers of prognostic and predictive value, such as estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, and ERBB2/HER-2 oncogene. Importantly, no significant CB(2) expression was detected in nontumor breast tissue.
Taken together, these data might set the bases for a cannabinoid therapy for the management of breast cancer.”
“We therefore investigated the role of the CB-Rs (CannaBinoid-Receptors) in mediating apoptosis in 3 leukemic cell lines… We have shown that THC is a potent inducer of apoptosis… THC-induced cell death…”
“The active ingredient in marijuana cuts tumor growth in common lung cancer in half and significantly reduces the ability of the cancer to spread, say researchers at Harvard University who tested the chemical in both lab and mouse studies.”
