Category Archives: Gliomas

THC, found in cannabis, shown to be effective in the treatment of brain tumors

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“In 2000, scientists at the Complutense University of Madrid carried out an extensive experiment, testing the effects of THC on cancerous brain cells in laboratory rats. Their discoveries were nothing short of amazing, as THC had effectively managed to destroy all cancer cells, while leaving healthy cells unaffected.
 
 Research into the effects of THC on glioblastoma would have had the potential to revolutionize available cancer treatments, yet due to insufficient funding and poor public exposure, the science team was unable to further their research.Manuel Guzman explained that “cannabinoids are selective antitumor compounds, as they can kill tumor cells without affecting their non-transformed counterparts.” In contrast to this, chemotherapy, the prevalent anticancer treatment of today, consists of a combination of antineoplastic drugs that have devastating physical and psychological side-effects… 
 
THC works by triggering the build-up of a chemical messenger known as ceramide, which in turn induces apoptosis (or programmed cell death) in mutated tumor cells.
Subsequent research into the properties of THC has revealed that it is among the very few naturally occurring, harmless substances that are capable of inducing programmed cell death in cancerous cells. Other substances with this property include anandamide, other cannabinoids and tumor necrosis factors produced by the immune system in its attempt to fight cancer.
 
After months of effort to obtain funding for testing the medical effects of THC on human tissues, the Madrid science team was forced to abandon this project, although there is currently no effective treatment available for malignant brain tumors.” 
 
 

Marijuana Compounds Possess Synergistic Anti-Cancer Effects, Study Says

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“Marijuana’s active compounds act synergistically to inhibit the growth of cancer cells and induce malignant cell death, according to preclinical trial data published online by the journal Molecular Cancer Therapeutics.

Investigators at the University of California, Pacific Medical Center Research Institute assessed whether the administration of the non-psychoactive cannabidiol would enhance the anti-cancer effects of THC on glioblastoma (brain cancer) cells.

Researchers reported that a combination of cannabinoids showed greater anti-cancer activity than the administration of either compound individually. “We discovered that cannabidiol enhanced the ability of THC to inhibit cell proliferation and induce cell cycle arrest and apoptosis (programmed cell death),” authors reported.

Investigators concluded: “Individually, THC and cannabidiol can activate distinct pathways in glioblastoma cells that ultimately culminate in inhibition of cancer cell growth and invasion as well as induction of cell death. We hypothesized that, if the individual agents were combined, a convergence on shared pathways may ensue, leading to an enhanced ability of the combination treatment to inhibit certain cancer cell phenotypes. We found this to be true in this investigation.”

A 2008 scientific review published in the journal Cancer Research reported that the cannabinioids inhibit cell proliferation in a wide range of cancers, including brain cancer, prostate cancer, breast cancer, lung cancer, skin cancer, pancreatic cancer, and lymphoma.”

http://norml.org/news/2010/01/21/marijuana-compounds-possess-synergistic-anti-cancer-effects-study-says

Cannabidiol enhances the inhibitory effects of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol on human glioblastoma cell proliferation and survival

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Molecular Cancer Therapeutics

“Δ9-THC and other cannabinoids can act as direct anticancer agents in multiple types of cancer in culture and in vivo. 

Individually, Δ9-THC and CBD can activate distinct pathways in glioblastoma cells that ultimately culminate in inhibition of cancer cell growth and invasion as well as induction of cell death.

We hypothesized that, if the individual agents were combined, a convergence on shared pathways may ensue leading to an enhanced ability of the combination treatment to inhibit certain cancer cell phenotypes.

We found this to be true in this investigation.

CBD enhances the inhibitory effects of Δ9-THC on glioblastoma cell growth.

Cannabidiol significantly improved the inhibitory effects of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol on glioblastoma cell proliferation and survival.

The Combination Treatment of Δ9-THC and Cannabidiol Inhibits Cell Cycle and Induces Apoptosis.

Our results suggest that the addition of CBD to Δ9-THC may improve the overall effectiveness of Δ9-THC in the treatment of glioblastoma in cancer patients.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2806496/

http://mct.aacrjournals.org/content/9/1/180.full

“CBD Enhances the Anticancer Effects of THC”  https://www.scribd.com/document/50154001/CBD-Enhances-the-Anticancer-Effects-of-THC-Journal-MCT-Marcu

Marijuana Ingredient Inhibits VEGF Pathway Required For Brain Tumor Blood Vessels

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“Cannabinoids, the active ingredients in marijuana, restrict the sprouting of blood vessels to brain tumors by inhibiting the expression of genes needed for the production of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF).

“Blockade of the VEGF pathway constitutes one of the most promising antitumoral approaches currently available,” said Manuel Guzmán, professor of biochemistry and molecular biology, with the Complutense University in Madrid, Spain, and the study’s principal investigator.

“The present findings provide a novel pharmacological target for cannabinoid-based therapies.””

More: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/08/040816085401.htm

“Cannabinoids inhibit the vascular endothelial growth factor pathway in gliomas.” http://cancerres.aacrjournals.org/content/64/16/5617.long

Inhibition of tumor angiogenesis by cannabinoids

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“Cannabinoids, the active components of marijuana and their derivatives, inhibit tumor growth in animal models… Because the generation of a new vascular supply (angiogenesis) is causally involved in the progression of the majority of solid tumors, the aim of this study was to test whether cannabinoids inhibit tumor angiogenesis.”

Figure 1.

“PRINCIPAL FINDINGS

1. Cannabinoid administration inhibits tumor angiogenesis

2. Cannabinoid administration inhibits vascular endothelial cell migration and survival

3. Cannabinoid administration inhibits tumor expression of proangiogenic factors and improves other markers of tumor malignancy

 

 …In the context of the renaissance in the study of the therapeutic effects of cannabinoids, our findings show that these compounds may be considered promising anti-tumoral agents as they inhibit tumor angiogenesis and growth in vivo with no significant side effects.

 This report provides a mechanistic basis for the anti-tumoral action of cannabinoids and a novel pharmacological target for cannabinoid-based anti-tumoral therapies…”

Full text:  http://www.fasebj.org/content/17/3/529.full

Amphiregulin is a factor for resistance of glioma cells to cannabinoid-induced apoptosis.

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“Gliomas, one of the most malignant forms of cancer, exhibit high resistance to conventional therapies. Identification of the molecular mechanisms responsible for this resistance is therefore of great interest to improve the efficacy of the treatments against these tumors. Delta9-Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the major active ingredient of marijuana, and other cannabinoids inhibit tumor growth in animal models of cancer, including glioma, an effect that relies, at least in part, on the ability of these compounds to induce apoptosis of tumor cells.

…we identified the epidermal growth factor receptor ligand amphiregulin as a candidate factor to mediate the resistance of glioma cells to cannabinoid treatment… in vivo silencing of amphiregulin rendered the resistant tumors xenografts sensitive to cannabinoid antitumoral action.

Amphiregulin expression was associated with increased extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) activation, which mediated the resistance to THC by blunting the expression of p8 and TRB3-two genes involved in cannabinoid-induced apoptosis of glioma cells.

 Our findings therefore identify Amphirregulin as a factor for resistance of glioma cells to THC-induced apoptosis and contribute to unraveling the molecular bases underlying the emerging notion that targeted inhibition of the EGFR pathway can improve the efficacy of antitumoral therapies.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19229996

Stimulation of the midkine/ALK axis renders glioma cells resistant to cannabinoid antitumoral action

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“Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the major active ingredient of marijuana, and other cannabinoids inhibit tumor growth in animal models of cancer, including glioma, an effect that relies, at least in part, on the stimulation of autophagy-mediated apoptosis in tumor cells. 

…Altogether, our findings identify Mdk as a pivotal factor involved in the resistance of glioma cells to THC pro-autophagic and antitumoral action, and suggest that selective targeting of the Mdk/ALK axis could help to improve the efficacy of antitumoral therapies for gliomas.”

Full text: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3131933/

Stimulation of ALK by the growth factor midkine renders glioma cells resistant to autophagy-mediated cell death

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“Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main active component of marijuana, promotes cancer cell death via autophagy stimulation.

We find that activation of the tyrosine kinase receptor ALK by its ligand midkine interferes with the signaling mechanism by which THC promotes autophagy-mediated glioma cell death.”

 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21593591

Marijuana Chemical May Fight Brain Cancer – CBSNews

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“The active chemical in marijuana promotes the death of brain cancer cells by essentially helping them feed upon themselves, researchers in Spain report.

Guillermo Velasco and colleagues at Complutense University in Spain have found that the active ingredient in marijuana, THC, causes brain cancer cells to undergo a process called autophagy. Autophagy is the breakdown of a cell that occurs when the cell essentially self-digests.

The team discovered that cannabinoids such as THC had anticancer effects in mice with human brain cancer cells and people with brain tumors . When mice with the human brain cancer cells received the THC, the tumor growth shrank.

Two patients enrolled in a clinical trial received THC directly to the brain as an experimental treatment for recurrent glioblastoma multiforme , a highly aggressive brain tumor. Biopsies taken before and after treatment helped track their progress. After receiving the THC, there was evidence of increased autophagy activity.

The findings appear in the April 1 issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

The patients did not have any toxic effects from the treatment. Previous studies of THC for the treatment of cancer have also found the therapy to be well tolerated, according to background information in journal article.

Study authors say their findings could lead to new strategies for preventing tumor growth.”

http://www.cbsnews.com/2100-500368_162-4913095.html

“Cannabinoid action induces autophagy-mediated cell death through stimulation of ER stress in human glioma cells…These findings describe a mechanism by which THC can promote the autophagic death of human and mouse cancer cells and provide evidence that cannabinoid administration may be an effective therapeutic strategy for targeting human cancers.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2673842/

 

Marijuana Study Shows Brain Cancer Cells Eat Themselves

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“… a study released by researchers at the Complutense University in Madrid describes how marijuana’s active chemical, tetrahydrocannabinol, can aid anti-cancer therapies due to its ability to coax cancerous brain cells to self-digest.

The research involved stimulating cancer growth in mice and then injecting sites near the tumors with THC every day. An experimental trial involving two brain cancer patients were also analyzed by the researchers.

It studied how an aggressive brain tumor type was affected by THC, noting that the findings fell in line with the tests done on mice. They say the work shows how “a new family of potential antitumoral agent” exists among THC and related cannabinoids.”

http://www.shortnews.com/start.cfm?id=78020

“Cannabinoid action induces autophagy-mediated cell death through stimulation of ER stress in human glioma cells”

Full Text: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2673842/