“Multidrug resistance (MDR) to known chemotherapeutic agents is increasing while the development of new drugs is lacking behind. Combination therapies might increase the development of effective treatment.
Anticancer properties of C. sativa L. have been extensively studied against various cancer cell lines but research on its effectiveness on MDR in cancer is less documented.
Aim
To determine the potential resistant reversal of the cytostatic drug doxorubicin by C. sativa L. extracts through combination studies.
Method
The cytotoxic effect of the different C. sativa L. extracts was assessed against a panel of human colon cancer cells (HT-29, Caco-2, HCT-15, LS513) and normal colon cells (CCD-18Co) by MTT assay. Drug-extract combination studies were performed on HCT-15 and LS513 MDR cells.
Results
DCM: methanol- and H2O extracts moderately inhibited the growth in HCT-15 and LS513 cells (IC50: 20–100 μg/ml). DCM- and H2O extracts potently inhibited HT-29 cell growth. Higher concentrations (100 μg/ml) of the hexane- and DCM- extracts slightly stimulated growth in Caco-2 cells. All the C. sativa L. extracts were more cytotoxic towards the cancerous cells than towards the normal colon cells. Combination studies between doxorubicin and the C. sativa L. extracts revealed synergistic growth inhibitory effects (CI < 1). The sensitivity to doxorubicin increased in HCT-15 and LS513 cells by 2.08- to 74.07-fold and 2.21- to 300.7-fold, respectively, compared to verapamil which improved it by 1.41-fold and 0.05-fold, respectively.
Conclusion
C. sativa L. extracts possess direct selective cytotoxic effect on colon cells and have a potential to reverse doxorubicin resistance.”
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2213713019300021
“Objectives
“Epilepsy contributes to approximately 1% of the global disease burden. By affecting especially young children as well as older persons of all social and racial variety, epilepsy is a present disorder worldwide. Currently, only 65% of epileptic patients can be successfully treated with antiepileptic drugs. For this reason, alternative medicine receives more attention.
“Recent studies have shown that cannabidiol (CBD) could have a great therapeutic potential for treating disorders such as chronic pain and anxiety. In the target article, the authors propose that CBD modulates serotonergic transmission and reverses allodynia and anxiety-like behaviour in a rat model of neuropathic pain. Furthermore, this study shows an antinociceptive effect mediated by TRPV1 and partially by 5-HT1A receptors, as well as an anxiolytic effect mediated by 5-HT1A receptors.”
“Cannabidiol (CBD) is a major phytocannabinoid in Cannabis sativa. CBD is being increasingly reported as a clinical treatment for neurological diseases.
“Globally, chronic pain is a major therapeutic challenge and affects more than 15% of the population. As patients with painful terminal diseases may face unbearable pain, there is a need for more potent analgesics.
“Diabetes is a chronic disease associated with a high number of complications such as peripheral neuropathy, which causes sensorial disturbances and may lead to the development of diabetic neuropathic pain (DNP). The current treatment for DNP is just palliative and the drugs may cause severe adverse effects, leading to discontinuation of treatment. Thus, new therapeutic targets need to be urgently investigated.
“Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is spreading fast all around the world with more than fourteen millions of detected infected cases and more than 600.000 deaths by 20th July 2020. While scientist are working to find a vaccine, current epidemiological data shows that the most common comorbidities for patients with the worst prognosis, hypertension and diabetes, are often treated with angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs).
“Objective: Cannabinoids are able to reduce tumor growth in xenograft models, but their therapeutic potential as anti-cancer drugs in humans is unclear yet. In vitro studies of the effect of cannabinoids on cancer cells are often carried out in absence of serum or in low serum concentration (i.e. 0.5% serum), conditions that limit cellular growth and therefore can increase the response of cells to additional challenges such as the presence of cannabinoids. However, the tumor microenvironment can be teaming with growth factors. In this study we assessed the viability and proliferation of cancer cells treated with cannabidiol in presence of a serum concentration that commonly sustains cell growth (10% serum).
“Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is an irreversible chronic neurodegenerative disorder that occurs when neurons in the brain degenerate and die. Pain frequently arises in older patients with neurodegenerative diseases including AD. However, the presence of pain in older people is usually overlooked with cognitive dysfunctions. Most of the times dementia patients experience moderate to severe pain but the development of severe cognitive dysfunctions tremendously affects their capability to express the presence of pain. Currently, there are no effective treatments against AD that emphasize the necessity for increasing research to develop novel drugs for treating or preventing the disease process. Furthermore, the prospective therapeutic use of cannabinoids in AD has been studied for the past few years. In this regard, targeting the endocannabinoid system has considered as a probable therapeutic strategy to control several associated pathological pathways, such as mitochondrial dysfunction, excitotoxicity, oxidative stress, and neuroinflammation for the management of AD. In this review, we focus on recent studies about the role of cannabinoids for the treatment of pain and related neuropathological changes in AD.”