Tag Archives: Cannabinoids

Cannabis linked to ‘prostate cancer cure’

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“Cannabis helps combat prostate cancer, scientists revealed yesterday.

But patients were warned not to use the drug even though active chemicals halted the spread of the disease.

Cannabis also helped reduce the size of tumours when tested on mice, according to researchers at Spain’s University of Alcala.

But Cancer Research UK’s Dr Lesley Walker said: “This opens a new avenue to explore potential drug targets but it is at a very early stage – it absolutely isn’t the case that men might be able to fight prostate cancer by smoking cannabis.

“Research suggests that prostate cancer cells might stop growing if they are treated with chemicals found in cannabis but more work needs to be done to explore the potential of these cannabinoids in treatment.”

Prostate cancer affects more than 35,000 UK men each year and kills around 10,000.”

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/cannabis-linked-to-prostate-cancer-cure-413459

Cannabis blunts prostate cancer threat: study – ABC News

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“Chemicals in cannabis have been found to stop prostate cancer cells from growing in the laboratory, suggesting marijuana-based medicines could one day help fight the disease, scientists said.

After working initially with human cancer cell lines, Ines Diaz-Laviada and colleagues from the University of Alcala in Madrid also tested one compound on mice and discovered it produced a significant reduction in tumour growth.

Their research, published in the British Journal of Cancer, underlines the growing interest in the medical use of active chemicals called cannabinoids, which are found in marijuana.”

Read more: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2009-08-19/cannabis-blunts-prostate-cancer-threat-study/1396346

Cannabis Chemicals Stop Prostate Cancer Growth

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“ACTIVE chemicals in cannabis have been shown to halt prostate cancer cell growth according to research published in the British Journal of Cancer.

Researchers from the University of Alcala, in Madrid tested the effects of the active chemicals in cannabis called cannabinoids on three human prostate cancer cell lines – called PC-3, DU-a45 and LNCaP.

The prostate cancer cells carry molecular ‘garages’- called receptors- in which cannabinoids can ‘park’.

The scientists showed for the first time that if cannabinoids ‘park’ on a receptor called CB2, the cancer cells stop multipyling.

Dr Walker added: “This research suggest that prostate cancer cells might stop growing if they are treated with chemicals found in cannabis but more work needs to be done to explore the potential of the cannabinoids in treatment.”

To confirm the findings the scientists switched off the CB2 receptors – or ‘closed the garage doors’- on the prostate cells. When cannabinoids were then added to cells without the CB2 receptor, the prostate cancer cells carried on dividing and growing. This suggests that cannabinoids connect with the CB2 receptors on prostate cancer cells to stop cell division and spread.

Professor Ines Diaz-Laviada, study author at the University of Alcala said: “Our research shows that there are areas on prostate cancer cells which can recognise and talk to chemicals found in cannabis called cannabinoids. These chemicals can stop the division and growth of prostate cancer cells and could become a target for new research into potential drugs to treat prostate cancer.”

Read more: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/161628.php

The role of cannabinoids in prostate cancer: Basic science perspective and potential clinical applications.

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“Prostate cancer is a global public health problem, and it is the most common cancer in American men and the second cause for cancer-related death. Experimental evidence shows that prostate tissue possesses cannabinoid receptors and their stimulation results in anti-androgenic effects.”

“Cannabis is a bushy plant with palmate leaves and clusters of small green flowers, and it grows wild in regions of tropical weather and can attain up to 3 m height. The genus Cannabis is complemented by sativa which translates to useful. Cannabis has indeed been used throughout history for a variety of purposes, including the production of fiber for paper and textile manufacture. However, its current popularity lies in its use as a recreational drug with psychoactive properties. The plant contains many chemical compounds that have different pharmacological properties, varying in quantity and quality depending on the strain, culture, and storage conditions.”

“The frequently held view of cannabis and its related products as drugs of abuse have slowed progress in the development of studies designed to take advantage of the properties of cannabinoid derivatives for therapeutic purposes…”

“Delta-9-THC is the substance with the greatest psychoactive potency of the natural cannabinoids and exhibits the greatest analgesic activity. Cannabidiol (CBD), another major constituent of the Cannabis sativa plant, has the same therapeutic effects of THC (analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and others), but with a different pharmacologic profile…”

“It is our conclusion that it would be of interest to conduct clinical trials involving medicinal cannabis or other cannabinoid agonists, comparing clinical markers such as PSA with controls, especially in men with bone metastatic prostate cancer, whom would not only benefit from the possible anti-androgenic effects of cannabinoids but also from analgesia of bone pain, improving quality of life, while reducing narcotic consumption and preventing opioid dependence.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3339795/

Towards the use of non-psychoactive cannabinoids for prostate cancer.

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“Prostate cancer is the most common malignancy among men of all races and one of the leading causes of cancer death in this population.

The palliative effects of Cannabis sativa (marijuana) and its putative main active ingredient, the Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which include inhibition of nausea and emesis associated with chemo- or radiotherapy, appetite stimulation, pain relief, mood elevation and relief from insomnia in cancer patients, have been well recognized for centuries. In addition to the therapeutic effects outlined above, THC, synthetic cannabinoid ligands and endocannabinoids or endocannabinoid-like substances have all been shown to induce cell death and to inhibit proliferation and/or migration of several murine and/or human cancer cell lines, as well as inhibiting the growth of certain types of tumours or tumour cell xenografts in vivo, including prostate cancer… the results in this paper represent a considerable experimental effort and provide a wealth of important information on how plant-derived, non-psychoactive, cannabinoids can induce apoptosis in prostate carcinoma cells through a variety of mechanisms… The results described in this paper also supplement previous evidence that THC can counteract prostate carcinoma in vitro and in vivo via activation of cannabinoid CB1 and CB2 receptors…” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3570005/

Cannabinoid Receptor as a Novel Target for the Treatment of Prostate Cancer

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“Because prostate cancer has become the most common cancer diagnosed in men, developing novel targets and mechanism-based agents for its treatment has become a challenging issue. In recent years cannabinoids, the active components of Cannabis sativa Linnaeus (marijuana) and their derivatives have drawn renewed attention because of their diverse pharmacologic activities such as cell growth inhibition, anti-inflammatory effects, and tumor regression . Cannabinoids have been shown to induce apoptosis in gliomas, PC-12 pheochromocytoma, CHP 100 neuroblastoma, and hippocampal neurons in vitro, and most interestingly, regression of C6-cell gliomas in vivo. Further interest in cannabinoid research came from the discovery of specific cannabinoid systems and the cloning of specific cannabinoid receptors. These diversified effects of cannabinoids are now known to be mediated by the activation of specific G protein-coupled receptors that are normally bound by a family of endogenous ligands, the endocannabinoids. Two different cannabinoid receptors have been characterized and cloned from mammalian tissues: the “central” CB1 receptor, and the “peripheral” CB2 receptor.”

“In the present study, we show for the first time that expression levels of both cannabinoid receptors, CB1 and CB2, are higher in human prostate cancer cells than in normal cells. Importantly, we also show that WIN-55,212-2 (CB1/CB2 agonist) treatment with androgen-responsive LNCaP cells results in a dose- and time-dependent inhibition of cell growth with a concomitant induction of apoptosis, decrease in protein and mRNA expression of androgen receptor and prostate-specific antigen (PSA), decrease in secreted PSA levels, protein expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). We suggest that cannabinoid receptor agonists may be useful in the treatment of human prostate cancer.”

“…non–habit-forming cannabinoid receptor agonists could be developed as novel therapeutic agents for the treatment of prostate cancer.”

“We conclude that cannabinoids should be considered as agents for the management of prostate cancer.”

.http://cancerres.aacrjournals.org/content/65/5/1635.long

Cannabinoid Receptor Agonist-induced Apoptosis of Human Prostate Cancer Cells LNCaP Proceeds through Sustained Activation of ERK1/2 Leading to G1 Cell Cycle Arrest

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“Prostate cancer (CaP)2 ranks as the most common noncutaneous malignancy and the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in American males, with similar trends in many Western countries…The major cause of mortality from this disease is metastasis of hormone refractory cancer cells that fail to respond to hormone ablation therapy. Because surgery and current treatment options have proven to be inadequate in treating and controlling CaP, the search for novel targets and mechanism-based agents for prevention and treatment of this disease has become a priority.”

“In recent years, cannabinoids the active components of Cannabis sativa linnaeus (marijuana) and their derivatives are drawing renewed attention because of their diverse pharmacological activities such as cell growth inhibition, anti-inflammatory effects, and tumor regression. Further interest in cannabinoid research came from the discovery of the cannabinoid system and the cloning of specific cannabinoid receptors. Two cannabinoid receptors have been identified: the “central” CB1 and the “peripheral” CB2 receptor. In a recent study, we have shown that WIN 55,212-2 a mixed CB1/CB2 receptor agonist imparts cell growth inhibitory effects in LNCaP cells via an induction of apoptosis. An important observation of this study was that WIN 55,212-2 treatment did not result in apoptosis of the normal prostate epithelial cell at similar doses.”

“Cannabinoids and their derivatives are drawing considerable attention in the treatment of cancer because of their diverse activities such as cell growth inhibition, anti-inflammatory effects, and tumor regression. Accumulated evidence indicates that cannabinoid receptor(s) could be an important target for the treatment of cancer. We have earlier shown that WIN-55,212-2 induced apoptosis of prostate cancer LNCaP cells is mediated through CB1 and CB2 receptors and suggested that these receptors could be an important targets for the treatment of prostate cancer…”

“Hence, we conclude that cannabinoid receptor agonist should be considered as an effective agent for the treatment of prostate cancer. If our hypothesis is supported by in vivo experiments, the long term implications of our study could be to develop nonhabit-forming cannabinoid agonist (s) for the management of prostate cancer.”

http://www.jbc.org/content/281/51/39480.long

Neuroprotective agents: cannabinoids.

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Abstract

“Chronic inflammation and neurodegeneration are the main pathological traits of multiple sclerosis that coexist in all stages of the disease course, with complex and still nonclarified relationships. Currently licensed medications have efficacy to control aspects related to inflammation, but have been unable to modify pure progression. Experimental work has provided robust evidence of the immunomodulatory and neuroprotective properties that cannabinoids exert in animal models of multiple sclerosis. Through activation of the CB2 receptor, cannabinoids modulate peripheral blood lymphocytes, interfere with migration across the blood-brain barrier and control microglial/macrophage activation. CB1 receptors present in neural cells have a fundamental role in direct neuroprotection against several insults, mainly excitotoxicity. In multiple sclerosis, several reports have documented the disturbance of the endocannabinoid system. Considering the actions demonstrated experimentally, cannabinoids might be promising agents to target the main aspects of the human disease.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21420365

Cannabinoids provide neuroprotection against 6-hydroxydopamine toxicity in vivo and in vitro: relevance to Parkinson’s disease.

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Abstract

“Cannabinoids have been reported to provide neuroprotection in acute and chronic neurodegeneration. In this study, we examined whether they are also effective against the toxicity caused by 6-hydroxydopamine, both in vivo and in vitro, which may be relevant to Parkinson’s disease (PD). First, we evaluated whether the administration of cannabinoids in vivo reduces the neurodegeneration produced by a unilateral injection of 6-hydroxydopamine into the medial forebrain bundle. As expected, 2 weeks after the application of this toxin, a significant depletion of dopamine contents and a reduction of tyrosine hydroxylase activity in the lesioned striatum were noted, and were accompanied by a reduction in tyrosine hydroxylase-mRNA levels in the substantia nigra. None of these events occurred in the contralateral structures. Daily administration of delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol (delta9-THC) during these 2 weeks produced a significant waning in the magnitude of these reductions, whereas it failed to affect dopaminergic parameters in the contralateral structures. This effect of delta9-THC appeared to be irreversible since interruption of the daily administration of this cannabinoid after the 2-week period did not lead to the re-initiation of the 6-hydroxydopamine-induced neurodegeneration. In addition, the fact that the same neuroprotective effect was also produced by cannabidiol (CBD), another plant-derived cannabinoid with negligible affinity for cannabinoid CB1 receptors, suggests that the antioxidant properties of both compounds, which are cannabinoid receptor-independent, might be involved in these in vivo effects, although an alternative might be that the neuroprotection exerted by both compounds might be due to their anti-inflammatory potential. As a second objective, we examined whether cannabinoids also provide neuroprotection against the in vitro toxicity of 6-hydroxydopamine. We found that the non-selective cannabinoid agonist HU-210 increased cell survival in cultures of mouse cerebellar granule cells exposed to this toxin. However, this effect was significantly lesser when the cannabinoid was directly added to neuronal cultures than when these cultures were exposed to conditioned medium obtained from mixed glial cell cultures treated with HU-210, suggesting that the cannabinoid exerted its major protective effect by regulating glial influence to neurons. In summary, our results support the view of a potential neuroprotective action of cannabinoids against the in vivo and in vitro toxicity of 6-hydroxydopamine, which might be relevant for PD. Our data indicated that these neuroprotective effects might be due, among others, to the antioxidant properties of certain plant-derived cannabinoids, or exerted through the capability of cannabinoid agonists to modulate glial function, or produced by a combination of both mechanisms.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15837565

The seek of neuroprotection: introducing cannabinoids.

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Abstract

“The cannabinoid system is constituted by some endogenous ligands (endocannabinoids), usually arachydonic acid derivatives, and their specific receptors. The endogenous cannabinoid system (ECS) is involved in the control of synaptic transmission, modulating memory, motivation, movement, nociception, appetite and thermoregulation. ECS also exert extraneural effects, mainly immunomodulation and vasodilation. Two cannabinoid receptors have been cloned so far: CB(1) receptors are expressed in the central nervous system (CNS) but can also be found in glial cells and in peripheral tissues; CB(1) receptors are Gi/o protein coupled receptors that modulate the activity of several plasma membrane proteins and intracellular signaling pathways. CB(2) receptors are also Gi/o protein-coupled receptors; although it is accepted that CB(2) receptors are not expressed in forebrain neurons, they have been described in activated glia. Some of the cannabinoids activate other receptors, for instance vanilloid receptors (TRPV1). Lately, the ECS is emerging as a natural system of neuroprotection. This consideration is based on some properties of cannabinoids as their vasodilatory effect, the inhibition of the release of excitotoxic amino acids and cytokines, and the modulation of oxidative stress and toxic production of nitric oxide. Such effects have been demonstrated in adult and newborn animal models of acute and chronic neurodegenerative conditions, and postulate cannabinoids as valuable neuroprotective agents. Patents related to cannabinoid receptors are also discussed.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18221224