Study: Marijuana Appears to Slow Cancer Growth in Laboratory Setting -FOXNEWS

Posted on June 8, 2014 by David

“Certain marijuana components may suppress the tumors of highly invasive cancers, a new study finds.

In laboratory tests, cannabinoids, the active components in marijuana, were found to slow the spread of lung and cervical cancer tumors, according to researchers Robert Ramer and Burkhard Hinz of the University of Rostock in Germany.

Proponents of medical marijuana believe that cannabinoids reduce the side effects of cancer treatment, such as pain, weight loss and vomiting.

The study, published in the Jan. 2 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, finds that the compounds may also have an anticancer effect;

Click here for the study.

In addition to suppressing tumor cell invasion, cannabinoids also stimulated the expression of TIMP-1, an inhibitor of a group of enzymes involved in tumor cell invasion.

“To our knowledge, this is the first report of TIMP-1-dependent anti-invasive effects of cannabinoids,” the authors wrote. “This signaling pathway may play an important role in the antimetastatic action of cannabinoids, whose potential therapeutic benefit in the treatment of highly invasive cancers should be addressed in clinical trials.””

https://www.foxnews.com/story/study-marijuana-appears-to-slow-cancer-growth-in-laboratory-setting

“Inhibition of Cancer Cell Invasion by Cannabinoids via Increased Expression of Tissue Inhibitor of Matrix Metalloproteinases-1. Cannabinoids may therefore offer a therapeutic option in the treatment of highly invasive cancers.” https://academic.oup.com/jnci/article/100/1/59/2567700

Cannabinoids Prevent the Effects of a Footshock Followed by Situational Reminders on Emotional Processing.

Posted on June 6, 2014 by David

“Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can develop following exposure to a traumatic event. Hence, what we do in the first few hours after trauma exposure may alter the trajectory of PTSD. We examined whether cannabinoids can prevent the effects of a single footshock followed by situational reminders (SRs) on emotional processing…

Cannabinoids Prevent the Effects of a Footshock Followed by Situational Reminders on Emotional Processing.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24897957

Cannabidiol (CBD) Shown To Kill Breast Cancer Cells -Cafemom

Posted on June 5, 2014 by David

“Cannabidiol (CBD) has been on the receiving end of a lot of attention from the scientific community for several decades now.

However, it is only now that we are really starting to begin to get a grasp on how wonderful this cannabinoid truly is.

A study from 2011 states that cannabidiol is considered an antineoplastic agent on the basis of its in vitro and in vivo activity against tumor cells. However, the exact molecular mechanism through which CBD works in this capacity is yet to be understood. The study, titled “Cannabidiol Induces Programmed Cell Death in Breast Cancer Cells by Coordinating the Cross-talk between Apoptosis and Autophagy,” focuses on how CBD can kill breast cancer cells. Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related death in women in the United States.

What the scientists found was that CBD influences apoptosis by interacting with a key protein, called beclin-1, found within the cancerous cell. Beclin-1 is also known to play a key role in autophagy, or cellular self-degradation of non-vital components, which may lead to programmed cell death. This causes a distortion of the electrical signals between the outer mitochondrial membrane and the rest of the cell, disrupting the transfer to the cell interior of certain molecules that are necessary for metabolism. What this means is that the cell cannot transfer energy, and the cell starves to death, and in doing so activates the self-destruction process of apoptosis.

The study concludes by stating, “In summary, we showed that CBD, a plant-derived cannabinoid, preferentially kills breast cancer cells by inducing ER stress, inhibiting mTOR signaling, enhancing ROS generation, and mediating a complex balance between autophagy and mitochondria-mediated apoptosis in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells. These findings support the continued exploration of CBD as an alternative agent for breast cancer treatment.””

http://www.cafemom.com/group/99198/forums/read/19190923/Cannabidiol_CBD_Shown_To_Kill_Breast_Cancer_Cells

“Cannabidiol Induces Programmed Cell Death in Breast Cancer Cells by Coordinating the Cross-talk between Apoptosis and Autophagy… In summary, we showed that CBD, a plant-derived cannabinoid, preferentially kills breast cancer cells…” http://mct.aacrjournals.org/content/10/7/1161.full

http://www.thctotalhealthcare.com/category/breast-cancer/

The role of the endocannabinoid system in atherosclerosis.

Posted on June 5, 2014 by David

“Our current understanding of the pathophysiology of atherosclerosis suggests a prominent role for immune responses from its initiation through its complications. Given the increasing prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors worldwide, there is an urgent need to better understand the underlying mechanisms to improve current treatment protocols.

A growing body of evidence suggests that endocannabinoid signalling plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of atherogenesis and its clinical manifestations. Blocking CB(1) receptors has been shown to mediate not only weight reduction, but also several cardiometabolic effects in rodents and humans, indicating a potential relevance for the process of atherosclerosis.

Activation of CB(2) receptors with Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) has been shown to inhibit atherosclerotic plaque progression in mice, mainly by inhibiting macrophage recruitment.

In conclusion, the precise role of the endocannabinoid system during atherosclerosis is not yet understood.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18426500

http://www.thctotalhealthcare.com/category/atherosclerosis-2/

Cannabinoid receptors in atherosclerosis.

Posted on June 5, 2014 by David

“…cannabinoid receptors are potential targets for the treatment of atherosclerosis…

Cannabinoids, such as Delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol, the major psychoactive compound of marijuana… was shown to inhibit disease progression through pleiotropic effects on inflammatory cells.

The development of novel cannabinoid receptor ligands that selectively target CB2 receptors or pharmacological modulation of the endocannabinoid system might offer novel therapeutic strategies in the treatment of atherosclerosis.

The immunomodulatory capacity of cannabinoids is now well established and suggests a broad therapeutic potential of cannabinoids for a variety of conditions, including atherosclerosis.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16960500

http://www.thctotalhealthcare.com/category/atherosclerosis-2/

Cannabinoid receptors in acute and chronic complications of atherosclerosis

Posted on June 5, 2014 by David

“Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease that is the primary cause of myocardial infarction and stroke, which occur after sudden thrombotic occlusion of an artery.

A growing body of evidence suggests that cannabinoid signalling plays a fundamental role in atherosclerosis development and its clinical manifestations. Thus, CB2 receptors are protective in myocardial ischaemia/reperfusion and implicated in the modulation of chemotaxis, which is crucial for the recruitment of leukocytes during inflammation.

Delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)-mediated activation has been shown to inhibit atherosclerotic plaque progression in a CB2 dependent manner.

It is tempting to suggest that pharmacological modulation of the endocannabinoid system is a potential novel therapeutic strategy in the treatment of atherosclerosis.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2219535/

Activation of cannabinoid CB2 receptor ameliorates atherosclerosis associated with suppression of adhesion molecules.

Posted on June 5, 2014 by David

“Adhesion molecules have been implicated in the development and progression of atherosclerosis. Cannabinoids have been reported to modulate the migration and adhesion molecules expression of various cell types.

Here we examined the effects of WIN55212-2, a cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1-R)/cannabinoid receptor 2 (CB2-R) agonist on the development of atherosclerotic lesions…

WIN55212-2 seems to have direct anti-atherosclerotic effects in an animal model of atherosclerosis… these beneficial effects of WIN55212-2 may be mediated through the CB2 receptor.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20075743

Towards a therapeutic use of selective CB2 cannabinoid receptor ligands for atherosclerosis.

Posted on June 5, 2014 by David

“Atherosclerosis remains the primary cause of heart disease and stroke, causing approximately 50% of all deaths in Western countries. The identification of promising novel anti-atherosclerotic therapies is therefore of great interest and represents a continued challenge to the medical community.

Cannabinoids, such as Delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is the major psychoactive compound of marijuana, modulate immune functions and might therefore be of therapeutic use for the treatment of inflammatory diseases.

The authors have demonstrated recently that oral treatment with low dose THC inhibits atherosclerosis progression in mice through pleiotropic immunomodulatory effects on inflammatory cells. All these effects were mediated via the cannabinoid receptor CB(2), the main cannabinoid receptor expressed on immune cells.

The identification and characterization of cannabinoid derivative that selectively activate CB(2) receptors and are devoid of adverse effects might offer a novel therapeutic strategy for the treatment of atherosclerosis.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19804131

https://www.futuremedicine.com/doi/abs/10.2217/14796678.2.1.49

“Researchers suggest that THC and other cannabinoids, which are active at CB2, the cannabinoid receptor expressed on immune cells, may be valuable in treating atherosclerosis.” https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/787468

Low dose oral cannabinoid therapy reduces progression of atherosclerosis in mice

Posted on June 5, 2014 by David

Figure 1 : The cannabinoid receptor CB2 is expressed in human and mouse atherosclerotic plaques. Unfortunately we are unable to provide accessible alternative text for this. If you require assistance to access this image, or to obtain a text description, please contact npg@nature.com

“Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease… Derivatives of cannabinoids such as delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) modulate immune functions and therefore have potential for the treatment of inflammatory diseases.

We investigated the effects of THC in a murine model of established atherosclerosis.

Oral administration of THC resulted in significant inhibition of disease progression.

Our data demonstrate that oral treatment with a low dose of THC inhibits atherosclerosis progression in the apolipoprotein E knockout mouse model, through pleiotropic immunomodulatory effects on lymphoid and myeloid cells.

Thus, THC or cannabinoids with activity at the CB2 receptor may be valuable targets for treating atherosclerosis.”

http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v434/n7034/full/nature03389.html

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15815632

Marijuana Chemical Fights Hardened Arteries – WebMD

Posted on June 5, 2014 by David

“The active ingredient in marijuana that produces changes in brain messages appears to fight atherosclerosis — a hardening of the arteries.

It takes a very specific amount of THC — marijuana’s key chemical — to help the arteries. That dose is too low to produce mood-altering effects in the brain, according to the new study.

“It would be difficult to achieve such specific concentrations in the blood by smoking marijuana,” Roth explains in a Nature editorial.”

http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/news/20050406/marijuana-chemical-fights-hardened-arteries

“Low dose oral cannabinoid therapy reduces progression of atherosclerosis in mice” http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v434/n7034/full/nature03389.html

http://www.thctotalhealthcare.com/category/atherosclerosis-2/