Tag Archives: treatment

Direct modulation of the outer mitochondrial membrane channel, voltage-dependent anion channel 1 (VDAC1) by cannabidiol: a novel mechanism for cannabinoid-induced cell death.

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“Cannabidiol (CBD) is a non-psychoactive plant cannabinoid that inhibits cell proliferation and induces cell death of cancer cells and activated immune cells. It is not an agonist of the classical CB1/CB2 cannabinoid receptors and the mechanism by which it functions is unknown.

…using microscale thermophoresis, we showed a direct interaction between purified fluorescently labeled VDAC1 and CBD.

Thus, VDAC1 seems to serve as a novel mitochondrial target for CBD.

The inhibition of VDAC1 by CBD may be responsible for the immunosuppressive and anticancer effects of CBD.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24309936

Marijuana & Brain Cancer: Why CBD Beats Gliomas

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“A non-psychoactive chemical found in marijuana called cannabidiol (CBD) could offer an effective treatment for brain cancer and is potentially an effective anti-cancer drug in the management of gliomas, without side effects, according to a new study from a team of Investigators in Spain, Italy and Canada.

The results suggest that CBD helps battle brain cancer through a combination of anti-cancer effects at the molecular level.”

More: http://blog.sfgate.com/smellthetruth/2013/12/05/marijuana-brain-cancer-why-cbd-beats-gliomas/

The endocannabinoid system, cannabinoids, and pain.

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“The endocannabinoid system is involved in a host of homeostatic and physiologic functions, including modulation of pain and inflammation… Exogenous plant-based cannabinoids (phytocannabinoids) and chemically related compounds, like the terpenes, commonly found in many foods, have been found to exert significant analgesic effects in various chronic pain conditions.

Currently, the use of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol is limited by its psychoactive effects and predominant delivery route (smoking), as well as regulatory or legal constraints.

 However, other phytocannabinoids in combination, especially cannabidiol and β-caryophyllene, delivered by the oral route appear to be promising candidates for the treatment of chronic pain due to their high safety and low adverse effects profiles.

This review will provide the reader with the foundational basic and clinical science linking the endocannabinoid system and the phytocannabinoids with their potentially therapeutic role in the management of chronic pain.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24228165

Cannabis might be a better treatment for epilepsy sufferers -msn

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Young marijuana plants (©AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

“Cannabis is now apparently the cure for everything from cancer,  diarrhea, bipolar disorder and Multiple sclerosis, to an ailing economy and being a smart aleck teenager. The latest chronic illness to get the 4:20 treatment is epilepsy. British scientists from the University of Reading tested a compound in pot called cannabidivarin on rats and mice with six types of epilepsy, and found it “strongly suppressed seizures” without the unpleasant side effects of current anti-epilepsy drugs. With 1 percent of the world’s population suffering from the disease, the head of the research team, Ben Whalley, says there’s a pressing need for better treatments. “It’s a chronic condition with no cure and currently, in around one-third of cases, the currently available treatments do not work, cause serious side effects and increase fatalities,” he said.”

http://now.msn.com/epilepsy-treatment-found-in-cannabis-may-prove-better-than-current-methods

“GW Pharmaceuticals Commences Phase 1Clinical Trial of GWP42006” (to be marketed as “Epidiolex”),”as a Potential Treatment for Epilepsy”

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EPIDIOLEX

“GW Pharmaceuticals plc (Nasdaq: GWPH, AIM: GWP, “GW”) announced today it has commenced a Phase 1 clinical trial of product candidate GWP42006 for the treatment of epilepsy.

Over the last five years, GW has conducted an extensive pre-clinical cannabinoid research program in the field of epilepsy in collaboration with the University of Reading in the United Kingdom. This research has led to the emergence of a number of promising cannabinoid therapeutic candidates showing anti-epileptic effects.

GWP42006, one of the most promising of those candidates, is a non-psychoactive cannabinoid extracted from specific chemotypes of the cannabis plant which has shown the ability to treat seizures in pre-clinical models of epilepsy with significantly fewer side effects than currently approved anti-epileptic drugs1.

“We are pleased to have advanced GWP42006 to first dose in man, a significant milestone in the development of this novel product candidate. The decision to progress into Phase 1 follows several years of highly promising pre-clinical research,” stated Dr. Stephen Wright, Director of Research and Development at GW. “We believe that GWP42006 has the potential to become an important advance in the treatment of epilepsy, a condition for which there remains a substantial unmet medical need.””

More: http://www.gwpharm.com/Phase1Epilepsy.aspx

“GW Pharma Commences Phase 1 Clinical Trial Of GWP42006 For Treatment Of Epilepsy… GWP42006, is a non-psychoactive cannabinoid extracted from specific chemotypes of the cannabis plant which has shown the ability to treat seizures in pre-clinical models of epilepsy with significantly fewer side effects than currently approved anti-epileptic drugs.” http://www.nasdaq.com/article/gw-pharma-commences-phase-1-clinical-trial-of-gwp42006-for-treatment-of-epilepsy-20130918-00037

“A Study of the Safety and Tolerability of GWP42006 in Healthy Subjects…This study is currently recruiting participants.” http://clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT01918735

“Driving directions to GW Pharma Limited and product information about EPIDIOLEX is provided. EPIDIOLEX is a product created by GW Pharma Limited in  Porton Down Science Park , Salisbury, , SP4OJR. The EPIDIOLEX  is a product related to Pharmaceutical and veterinary preparations and substances for the treatment of epilepsy, convulsions, seizures, Dravet syndrome, Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, intractable childhood epilepsy with generalized tonic-clonic seizures, generalized epilepsy with febrile seizures plus, Doose syndrome and chromosome disorders; pharmaceutical preparations and substances for the treatment of pediatric epilepsy; herbs for medicinal purposes; medicinal herbs; medicinal oils; medicinal infusions for the treatment of epilepsy; pure extracts of medicinal plants and herbs used for the treatment of epilepsy, convulsions and seizures; herb teas for medicinal purposes. The EPIDIOLEX product is now being marketed in the United States for sale. The EPIDIOLEX is in the category of  Pharmaceutical Products..

Get in contact with the owner, GW Pharma Limited of this EPIDIOLEX, or visit them at their place of business in the map. Write a review about the product with this EPIDIOLEX.

Or, contact the owner GW Pharma Limited of the  EPIDIOLEX trademark by filing a request to communicate with the Legal Correspondent   for licensing, use, and/or questions related to EPIDIOLEX. The correspondent of the EPIDIOLEX is  MICHELLE L. VISSER of RADER, FISHMAN & GRAUER PLLC, 39533 WOODWARD AVE STE 140, BLOOMFIELD HILLS, MI 48304-5098 “.

http://www.trademarkia.com/map/epidiolex-86007888.htm

Study: Cannabis Compounds Can Kill Cancer Cells – US News & World Report

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“Researcher says cannabinoids might treat cancer as well as billion-dollar drugs.”

A medical marijuana activist holds a sign during a rally Jan. 4, 2010, in Oakland, Calif. Research suggests marijuana may fight cancer itself, not just side-effects.“A British researcher has found that cannabinoids, a term for chemicals derived from marijuana, can kill leukemia cells, and he expects clinical trials for new medications to begin soon.

The findings, published in the October issue of Anticancer Research: International Journal of Cancer Research and Treatment, show that certain non-psychoactive cannabinoids “resulted in dramatic reductions in cell viability” and “caused a simultaneous arrest at all phases of the cell cycle,” according to an abstract posted online. 

The study tested six cannabinoids, together and independently, on leukemia cells. Study author Wai Liu, an oncologist at the University of London’s St. George’s medical school, told U.S. News the chemicals displayed “potent anti-cancer activity” and, significantly, “target and switch off” pathways that allow cancers to grow.”

More: http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2013/10/24/study-cannabis-compounds-can-kill-cancer-cells

Systematic review of the literature on clinical and experimental trials on the antitumor effects of cannabinoids in gliomas.

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“To evaluate, through a systematic review of the literature, the antitumoral effects of cannabinoids on gliomas…

  In all experimental studies included, cannabinoids exerted antitumoral activity in vitro and/or antitumoral evidence in vivo in several models of tumor cells and tumors.

The antitumor activity included: antiproliferative effects (cell cycle arrest), decreased viability and cell death by toxicity, apoptosis, necrosis, autophagy, as well as antiangiogenic and antimigratory effects.

 Antitumoral evidence included: reduction in tumor size, antiangiogenic, and antimetastatic effects.

 Additionally, most of the studies described that the canabinnoids exercised selective antitumoral action in several distinct tumor models. Thereby, normal cells used as controls were not affected.

The safety factor in the cannabinoids’ administration has also been demonstrated in vivo.

 The various cannabinoids tested in multiple tumor models showed antitumoral effects both in vitro and in vivo.

 These findings indicate that cannabinoids are promising compounds for the treatment of gliomas.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24142199

Cannabinoids ameliorate disease progression in a model of multiple sclerosis in mice, acting preferentially through CB1 receptor-mediated anti-inflammatory effects

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“Cannabinoids have been proposed as promising therapeutic agents in MS given their capability to alleviate specific MS symptoms (e.g., spasticity, pain).

Although MS has been considered mainly an inflammatory disorder, recent evidence, however, revealed the importance of neurodegenerative events, opening the possibility that cannabinoid agonists, given their cytoprotective properties, may also serve to reduce oligodendrocyte death and axonal damage in MS.

Thus, the treatment with WIN55,512-2, a potent CB1 and CB2 agonist, was reported to be effective to ameliorate tremor and spasticity in mice with chronic relapsing experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, a murine model of MS, but also to delay disease progression in this and other murine models of MS….”

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0028390812000500

Δ9-TETRAHYDROCANNABINOL IS PROTECTIVE THROUGH PPARγ DEPENDENT MITOCHONDRIAL BIOGENESIS IN A CELL CULTURE MODEL OF PARKINSON’S DISEASE

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“Cannabinoids such as Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC) are neuroprotective in animal and cell culture models of Parkinson’s disease (PD).

In a PD cell culture model we recently demonstrated that Δ9-THC is neuroprotective through activation of the nuclear receptor peroxisomal proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ)…

Here we investigate the effect of Δ9-THC and pioglitazone on mitochondrial biogenesis…

CONCLUSIONS:

Even though Δ9-THC and pioglitazone are both protective against MPP+ only Δ9-THC induces PPARγ dependent mitochondrial biogenesis, a mechanism that may be beneficial for the treatment of PD.”

http://jnnp.bmj.com/content/84/11/e2.58

“Δ⁹-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ⁹-THC) exerts a direct neuroprotective effect in a human cell culture model of Parkinson’s disease.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22236282

Dronabinol, a cannabinoid agonist, reduces hair pulling in trichotillomania: a pilot study.

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“Trichotillomania is characterized by repetitive pulling causing noticeable hair loss. Pharmacological treatment data for trichotillomania are limited.

Dronabinol appears to reduce the exocitotoxic damage caused by glutamate release in the striatum and offers promise in reducing compulsive behavior.

 

RESULTS:

The medication was well-tolerated, with no significant deleterious effects on cognition.

CONCLUSIONS:

This study, the first to examine a cannabinoid agonist in the treatment of trichotillomania, found that dronabinol demonstrated statistically significant reductions in trichotillomania symptoms, in the absence of negative cognitive effects.

Pharmacological modulation of the cannabinoid system may prove useful in controlling a range of compulsive behaviors…”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21590520