Tag Archives: anti-cancer

Cannabinoids Destroy Leukemia Cells, New Study Finds

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(Photo: Alternative Medicine Solutions)

“New research from the University of London suggests chemicals in marijuana could be used to fight leukemia.

Published online in Anticancer Research, researchers at the Department of Oncology at St. George’s, University of London studied six different cannabinoids and found each to have anti-cancer action in leukemia cells.

Lead author Wai Liu, Ph.D explained the results of the latest study in Monday’s press release.

These agents are able to interfere with the development of cancerous cells, stopping them in their tracks and preventing them from growing. In some cases, by using specific dosage patterns, they can destroy cancer cells on their own.

The scientists were able to replicate previous findings on the anti-cancer effects of THC – the compound in marijuana responsible for the high.

However, in the latest study, Dr. Liu’s team decided to focus on cannabinoids that lacked psychoactive activity, including cannabidiol (CBD), cannabigerol (CBG) and cannabigevarin (CBGV).

This study is a critical step in unpicking the mysteries of cannabis as a source of medicine. The cannabinoids examined have minimal, if any, hallucinogenic side effects, and their properties as anti-cancer agents are promising.

The non-psychoactive cannabinoids were shown to inhibit growth of leukemia cells at all stages of the cell cycle. Interestingly, the team observed even greater effects when different cannabinoids were administered together.

“These compounds are inexpensive to produce”

Dr. Liu says drugs derived from cannabis are much cheaper to produce than traditional cancer therapies. He also thinks they could be combined with existing treatments to enhance their effects.

Used in combination with existing treatment, we could discover some highly effective strategies for tackling cancer. Significantly, these compounds are inexpensive to produce and making better use of their unique properties could result in much more cost effective anti-cancer drugs in future.

Dr. Liu’s next study will investigate the potential of cannabinoids when combined with existing treatments as well as different treatment schedules that could maximize their anti-cancer activity.”

http://www.leafscience.com/2013/10/14/cannabinoids-destroy-leukemia-cells-new-study-finds/

http://www.thctotalhealthcare.com/category/leukemia/

Novel hexahydrocannabinol analogs as potential anti-cancer agents inhibit cell proliferation and tumor angiogenesis.

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“Both natural and synthetic cannabinoids have been shown to suppress the growth of tumor cells in culture and in animal models by affecting key signaling pathways including angiogenesis, a pivotal step in tumor growth, invasion, and metastasis.

In our search for cannabinoid-like anticancer agents devoid of psychoactive side effects, we synthesized and evaluated the anti-angiogenic effects of a novel series of hexahydrocannabinol analogs.

…two analogs LYR-7 [(9S)-3,6,6,9-tetramethyl-6a,7,8,9,10,10a-hexahydro-6H-benzo[c]chromen-1-ol] and LYR-8 [(1-((9S)-1-hydroxy-6,6,9-trimethyl-6a,7,8,9,10,10a-hexahydro-6H-benzo[c]chromen-2-yl)ethanone)]…

…these results suggest that novel synthetic hexahydrocannabinol analogs, LYR-7 and LYR-8, inhibit tumor growth by targeting VEGF-mediated angiogenesis signaling in endothelial cells and suppressing VEGF production and cancer cell growth.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20950604

 

Rosemary: A Cancer-Fighting Spice

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“Rosemary: A Cancer-Fighting Spice”  http://www2.mdanderson.org/cancerwise/2011/05/rosemary-a-cancer-fighting-spice.html

“Inhibitory effects of rosemary extracts, carnosic acid and rosmarinic acid on the growth of various human cancer cell lines…the extracts exhibited various cytotoxic effects against different cell lines…Rosemary extract is a potential candidate to be included in the anti-cancer diet…”  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20449663

“Pharmacology of rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis Linn.) and its therapeutic potentials. The use of plants is as old as the mankind. Natural products are cheap and claimed to be safe… It is concluded that rosemary and its constituents especially caffeic acid derivatives such as rosmarinic acid have a therapeutic potential in treatment or prevention of bronchial asthma, spasmogenic disorders, peptic ulcer, inflammatory diseases, hepatotoxicity, atherosclerosis, ischaemic heart disease, cataract, cancer and poor sperm motility.”  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10641130

“Polyphenols from the Mediterranean herb rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) for prostate cancer. This review focuses on the Mediterranean herb, rosemary, its polyphenolic diterpenes (carnosic acid and carnosol) and their role in chemoprevention of prostate cancer. Epidemiological studies suggest a reduced risk of cancer in patients consuming rosemary… These findings warrant further research to understand the potential of rosemary as a cancer chemopreventive agent in prostate cancer.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3607075/

“Effect of rosemary polyphenols on human colon cancer cells: transcriptomic profiling and functional enrichment analysis…rosemary polyphenols…may contribute to colon cancer cell death… Carnosol, one of the main polyphenols in rosemary, poses strong antioxidant and chemopreventive activities. This diterpene has demonstrated anti-inflammatory and anticancer activities on prostate, skin, breast, leukemia, and colon cancer. Another rosemary diterpene, carnosic acid, has proven antiproliferative activity in colon cancer cells…”  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3534995/

“Carnosol induces apoptosis through generation of ROS and inactivation of STAT3 signaling in human coloncancer HCT116 cells… Carnosol, an active constituent of rosemary, has been reported to possess anti-inflammatory and anticancer activities.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24481553

“Carnosic acid inhibits the growth of ER-negative human breast cancer cells and synergizes with curcumin…Studies indicate that extracts and purified components, including carnosic acid, from the herb rosemary display significant growth inhibitory activity on a variety of cancers….Rosemary/carnosic acid, alone or combined with curcumin, may be useful to prevent and treat ER-negative breast cancer.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22828666

“Carnosic acid modulates Akt/IKK/NF-κB signaling by PP2A and induces intrinsic and extrinsic pathway mediatedapoptosis in human prostate carcinoma PC-3 cells. This study investigates the efficacy of carnosic acid (CA), a polyphenolic diterpene, isolated from the plant rosemary (Rosemarinus officinalis), on androgen-independent human prostate cancer PC-3 cells…may have the potential for use in the prevention and/or treatment of prostate cancer.”  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22453599

“Carnosic acid, a rosemary phenolic compound, induces apoptosis through reactive oxygen species-mediated p38 activation in human neuroblastoma IMR-32 cells. Carnosic acid (CA), a rosemary phenolic compound, has been shown to display anti-cancer activity.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21833842

“Carnosic acid inhibits proliferation and augments differentiation of human leukemic cells induced by 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 and retinoic acid. Carnosic acid, the polyphenolic diterpene derived from rosemary, is a strong dietary antioxidant that exhibits antimutagenic properties in bacteria and anticarcinogenic activity in various cell and animal models…These results indicate that carnosic acid is capable of antiproliferative action in leukemic cells and can cooperate with other natural anticancer compounds in growth-inhibitory and differentiating effects.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12094616

“Carnosol-induced apoptosis and downregulation of Bcl-2 in B-lineage leukemia cells. Carnosol, a phenolic compound extracted from the herb rosemary has been reported to have anti-cancer activity… These results suggest that carnosol may be useful as a novel chemotherapeutic agent against B-lineage leukemias, and possibly other types of cancers that express high levels of the protective protein, Bcl-2.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11448532

“Carnosol, a dietary diterpene, displays growth inhibitory effects in human prostate cancer PC3 cells leading to G2-phase cell cycle arrest and targets the 5′-AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) pathway…These results suggest that carnosol targets multiple signaling pathways that include the AMPK pathway. The ability of carnosol to inhibit prostate cancer in vitrosuggests carnosol may be a novel agent for the management of prostate cancer”  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2994272/

“Rosmanol potently induces apoptosis through both the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway and death receptor pathway in human colon adenocarcinoma COLO 205 cells. Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis), a culinary spice and medicinal herb, has been widely used in European folk medicine to treat numerous ailments. Many studies have shown that rosemary extracts play important roles in anti-inflammation, anti-tumor, and anti-proliferation in various in vitro and in vivo settings.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21112365

“Ursolic acid, a pentacyclin triterpene, potentiates TRAIL-induced apoptosis through p53-independent up-regulation of death receptors: evidence for the role of reactive oxygen species and JNK. Discovery of the molecular targets of traditional medicine and its chemical footprints can validate the use of such medicine. In the present report, we investigated the effect of ursolic acid (UA), a pentacyclic triterpenoid found in rosemary and holy basil, on apoptosis induced by TRAIL. We found that UA potentiated TRAIL-induced apoptosis in cancer cells.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21156789

“Cooperative antitumor effects of vitamin D3 derivatives and rosemary preparations in a mouse model of myeloid leukemia…The results of our study suggest that the use of polyphenol-rich rosemary preparations together with low calcemic vitamin D3 analogs may represent a novel effective and low-toxic approach to combination differentiation therapy of acute myeloid leukemias.”  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2824511/

“Antiproliferation effect of Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) on human ovarian cancer cells in vitro. Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.) is a popular culinary/medicinal herb. Recent studies have shown it has pharmacologic activities for cancerchemoprevention and therapy.”  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22325591

“Anti-proliferative and antioxidant properties of rosemary Rosmarinus officinalis.
Constituents in rosemary have shown a variety of pharmacological activities for cancer chemoprevention and therapy in in vitro and in vivo models.”  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17487414

“Anti-angiogenic properties of carnosol and carnosic acid, two major dietary compounds from rosemary. Carnosol and carnosic acid, two major components of rosemary extracts, have shown activity for cancer prevention and therapy…The anti-angiogenic activity of carnosol and carnosic acid could contribute to the chemopreventive, antitumoral and antimetastatic activities of rosemary extracts and suggests their potential in the treatment of other angiogenesis-related malignancies.”  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22173778

Targeting astrocytomas and invading immune cells with cannabinoids: a promising therapeutic avenue.

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“The last quarter century has borne witness to great advances in both the detection and treatment of numerous cancers. Even so, malignancies of the central nervous system, especially high-grade astrocytomas, continue to thwart our best efforts toward effective chemotherapeutic strategies.

With prognosis remaining bleak, the time for serious consideration of alternative therapies has arrived. Various preparations of the marijuana plant, Cannabis sativa, and related synthetic and endogenous compounds, may constitute just such an alternative.

Cannabinoids, although much maligned historically for their psychotropic effects and clear abuse potential, have long been used medicinally and are now staging an impressive comeback, as recent studies have begun to explore their powerful anti-tumoral properties.

In this study, we review in vitro and in vivo evidence supporting the use of cannabinoids for treatment of brain tumors. We further propose the continued intense investigation of cannabinoid efficacies as novel anti-cancer agents, especially in models recapitulating such properties within the unique environment of the brain.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17952648

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

Research Shows that Marijuana Kills Cancer Cells

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The marijuana molecula cannabidiol. Cell studies show it to be an anti-cancer agent.

“New research published this month in the journal Anticancer Research concludes that certain non-psychoactive cannabinoids “resulted in dramatic reductions in [leukemia] cell viability” and “caused a simultaneous arrest at all phases of the [leukemia] cell cycle,” according to an abstract posted online.

Study author Wai Liu, a University of London – St. George’s medical school oncologist, tested six cannabinoids, together and independently, on leukemia cells.

Liu told US News the molecules had “potent anti-cancer activity” and, significantly, “target and switch off” chemical signals that promote cancer growth.

Liu’s research builds on what is now at least a decade of startling research showing marijuana molecules’ effects on cancer cells…

Drug law reform advocates note that the United States all but ceased medical research into the benefits of marijuana during the decades-long and ongoing drug war. Research, however, continues overseas.”

http://www.eastbayexpress.com/LegalizationNation/archives/2013/10/25/research-shows-that-marijuana-kills-cancer-cells

Marijuana Might Kill Cancer – Newsweek

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“A new study suggests that several components of the cannabis plant slow or kill malignant cells.”
Pot

 “Recent research gives new hope and meaning to the phrase “medical marijuana.”

In a paper published in October’s Anticancer Research, Wai Liu, a senior research fellow at St. George’s University of London, reports that he found six cannabinoids – active components of the cannabis plant – that can slow or outright kill cancer cells.

Though THC is the main cannabinoid associated with marijuana and has been recognized to have a “really strong anti-cancer effect,” Liu says, “it’s not a good candidate for therapeutic use because of its psychoactive properties.”

He examined whether several lesser-known cannabinoids would impact the growth of leukemia cells both individually and in combination.

The result?

“They’re good at killing cancer cells,” he says. And “because they’re not psychoactive, you can actually have the benefits associated with anti-cancer technology but not have the feelings of high, which are associated with THC.””

More: http://www.newsweek.com/marijuana-might-kill-cancer-1289

Can Cannabis Cure Cancer? – Newsweek

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“New study suggests that several cannabinoids slow or kill malignant cells.”

“Recent research gives new hope and meaning to the phrase “medical marijuana.”

In a paper published in October’s Anticancer Research, Wai Liu, a senior research fellow at St. George’s University of London, reports that he found six cannabinoids – active components of the cannabis plant – that can slow or outright kill cancer cells.”

More: http://mag.newsweek.com/2013/11/01/cannabis-cure-cancer.html

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/

Non-Hallucinogenic Cannabinoids Are Effective Anti-Cancer Drugs – ScienceDaily

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“New research has shown that the non-hallucinogenic components of cannabis could act as effective anti-cancer agents.

The anti-cancer properties of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the primary hallucinogenic component of cannabis, has been recognised for many years, but research into similar cannabis-derived compounds, known as cannabinoids, has been limited.

The study was carried out by a team at St George’s, University of London. It has been published in the journal Anticancer Research.

The team, led by Dr Wai Liu and colleagues carried out laboratory investigations using a number of cannabinoids, either alone or in combination with each other, to measure their anti-cancer actions in relation to leukemia.

Of six cannabinoids studied, each demonstrated anti-cancer properties as effective as those seen in THC. Importantly, they had an increased effect on cancer cells when combined with each other.”

More: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/10/131014094105.htm