Tag Archives: antiproliferative

Effects of CB2 and TRPV1 receptors’ stimulation in pediatric acute T-lymphoblastic leukemia

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“T-Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (T-ALL) is less frequent than B-ALL, but it has poorer outcome. For this reason new therapeutic approaches are needed to treat this malignancy.

The Endocannabinoid/Endovanilloid (EC/EV) system has been proposed as possible target to treat several malignancies, including lymphoblastic diseases. The EC/EV system is composed of two G-Protein Coupled Receptors (CB1 and CB2), the Transient Potential Vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) channel, their endogenous and exogenous ligands and enzymes. CB1 is expressed mainly in central nervous system while CB2 predominantly on immune and peripheral cells, therefore we chose to selectively stimulate CB2 and TRPV1.

We treated T-ALL lymphoblasts derived from 4 patients and Jurkat cells with a selective agonist at CB2 receptor: JWH-133 [100 nM] and an agonist at TRPV1 calcium channel: RTX [5 uM] at 6, 12 and 24 hours. We analyzed the effect on apoptosis and Cell Cycle Progression by a cytofluorimetric assays and evaluated the expression level of several target genes (Caspase 3, Bax, Bcl-2, AKT, ERK, PTEN, Notch-1, CDK2, p53) involved in cell survival and apoptosis, by Real-Time PCR and Western Blotting.

We observed a pro-apoptotic, anti-proliferative effect of these compounds in both primary lymphoblasts obtained from patients with T-ALL and in Jurkat cell line. Our results show that both CB2 stimulation and TRPV1 activation, can increase the apoptosis in vitro, interfere with cell cycle progression and reduce cell proliferation, indicating that a new therapeutic approach to T-cell ALL might be possible by modulating CB2 and TRPV1 receptors.”

http://www.oncotarget.com/index.php?journal=oncotarget&page=article&op=view&path%5B%5D=25052

Cannabis sativa Extract Reduces Cytoskeletal Associated Proteins in Breast Cancer Cell Line

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A Review of the Therapeutic Antitumor Potential of Cannabinoids.

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:Image result for J Altern Complement Med.

“The aim of this review is to discuss cannabinoids from a preclinical and clinical oncological perspective and provide the audience with a concise, retrospective overview of the most significant findings concerning the potential use of cannabinoids in cancer treatment.

RESULTS:

Cannabis sativa is a plant rich in more than 100 types of cannabinoids. Besides exogenous plant cannabinoids, mammalian endocannabinoids and synthetic cannabinoid analogues have been identified. Cannabinoid receptors type 1 (CB1) and type 2 (CB2) have been isolated and characterized from mammalian cells. Through cannabinoid receptor and non-receptor signaling pathways, cannabinoids show specific cytotoxicity against tumor cells, while protecting healthy tissue from apoptosis. The dual antiproliferative and proapoptotic effects of cannabinoids and associated signaling pathways have been investigated on a large panel of cancer cell lines. Cannabinoids also display potent anticancer activity against tumor xenografts, including tumors that express high resistance to standard chemotherapeutics. Few studies have investigated the possible synergistic effects of cannabinoids with standard oncology therapies, and are based on the preclinically confirmed concept of “cannabinoid sensitizers.” Also, clinical trials aimed to confirm the antineoplastic activity of cannabinoids have only been evaluated on a small number of subjects, with no consensus conclusions regarding their effectiveness.

CONCLUSIONS:

A large number of cannabinoid compounds have been discovered, developed, and used to study the effects of cannabinoids on cancers in model systems. However, few clinical trials have been conducted on the use of cannabinoids in the treatment of cancers in humans. Further studies require extensive monitoring of the effects of cannabinoids alone or in combination with standard anticancer strategies. With such knowledge, cannabinoids could become a therapy of choice in contemporary oncology.”

 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28799775

Systematic review of the potential role of cannabinoids as antiproliferative agents for urological cancers.

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“The palliative effects of cannabis sativa (marijuana), which include appetite stimulation, attenuation of nausea and emesis, and pain relief, are well known.

The active components of cannabis sativa (cannabinoids) and their derivatives have received growing interest due to their diverse pharmacological activities, such as cell growth inhibition and tumour regression.

The aim of this review is to look at the current evidence on the antiproliferative effects of cannabinoids in urological malignancies, including renal, prostate, bladder, and testicular cancers.

The search yielded a total of 93 studies from Medline and PubMed, of which 23 studies were included in the final analysis. To date, there are various in vitro studies elucidating the potential mechanism of action of cannabinoids for urological cancers, along with population-based studies specifically for testicular malignancies. To date, no clinical trials have been conducted for urological cancer patients.

These results demonstrate that the role of endocannabinoids for urological malignancies is an area of active research. Further research is required not only to evaluate the crosstalk between cancer signaling pathways and cannabinoids, but also large randomized clinical studies with urological patients need to be conducted before cannabinoids can be introduced as potential therapeutic options for urological neoplasms.”

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28515817

http://www.cuaj.ca/index.php/journal/article/view/4371

Pharmacological inhibition of MAGL lipase attenuates experimental colon carcinogenesis.

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“Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a major health problem in Western countries. The endocannabinoid 2-arachidonoyl-glycerol (2-AG) exerts antiproliferative actions in a number of tumoral cell lines, including CRC cells.

Monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL), a serine hydrolase that inactivates 2-AG, is highly expressed in aggressive human cancer cells.

Here, we investigated the role of MAGL in experimental colon carcinogenesis.

MAGL, possibly through modulation of angiogenesis, plays a pivotal role in experimental colon carcinogenesis.

Pharmacological inhibition of MAGL could represent an innovative therapeutic approach to reduce colorectal tumor progression.”

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28193521

Dietary olive oil induces cannabinoid CB2 receptor expression in adipose tissue of ApcMin/+ transgenic mice.

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“Cannabinoid– 2 (CB2) receptor is known for its anti-obesity effects silencing the activated immune cells that are key drivers of metabolic syndrome and inflammation.

Nutritional interventions in experimental models of carcinogenesis have been demonstrated to modulate tissue inflammation state and proliferation.

OBJECTIVE: Aim of this study was to test, in ApcMin/+ mice, whether a diet enriched with olive oil, omega- 3 and omega-6- PUFAs affects the adipose tissue inflammation status.

RESULTS: The diet enriched with olive oil significantly induced CB2 receptor expression and it was able to control inflammatory and proliferative activity of mice adipose tissue.

CONCLUSIONS: The present findings open opportunities for developing novel nutritional strategies considering olive oil a key ingredient of a healthy dietary pattern.”

 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28035344

Inhibition of cervical cancer cell proliferation by cannabidiol

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“Seventy phytocannabinoids are now known to be synthesized by Cannabis sativa (marijuana)]. The major non-psychoactive cannabinoid cannabidiol (CBD) exhibits antiproliferative effects against breast, cervix, colon, glioma, leukemia, ovary, prostate, and thyroid cancer cells. In this study, we investigated the antiproliferative effect of CBD on the ME-180 cervical cancer cell line. The results of our study suggest that CBD exerts its antiproliferative effect via multiple mechanisms, and it could be a potential treatment for cervical cancer.”

https://www.thieme-connect.com/DOI/DOI?10.1055/s-0036-1596862

Anticancer and antioxidant properties of terpinolene in rat brain cells.

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“Terpinolene (TPO) is a natural monoterpene present in essential oils of many aromatic plant species.

Our findings clearly demonstrate that TPO is a potent antiproliferative agent for brain tumour cells and may have potential as an anticancer agent, which needs to be further studied.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24084350

“Three different medicinal cannabis varieties were investigated Bedrocan, Bedrobinol and Bediol. The major components in Bedrocan smoke were Delta(9)-THC, cannabinol (CBN), terpinolene, CBG, myrcene and cis-ocimene in Bedrobinol Delta(9)-THC, CBN and myrcene in Bediol CBD, Delta(9)-THC, CBN, myrcene, CBC and terpinolene.”  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20118579

“The sedative effect of inhaled terpinolene in mice and its structure-activity relationships.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23339024

 “Anticancer and antioxidant properties of terpinolene in rat brain cells.”  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24084350

Modulation of breast cancer cell viability by a cannabinoid receptor 2 agonist, JWH-015, is calcium dependent

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“Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths among women aged 34–50 worldwide, and is the most commonly diagnosed metastasizing tumor in women of all ages. Despite advances in understanding breast cancer as a disease, there remains a critical need for novel disease-modifying therapeutics.

Nonspecific cannabinoids, cannabinoid receptor 2 (CB2)-selective, as well as cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1)-selective compounds have yielded similar antitumor results in several tumor models. The lack of neuronal expression of CB2 receptors precludes CB2 selective compounds from inducing the psychotropic effects that typically accompany CB1 activation.

 Our group and others have shown that CB2 agonists displaying selectivity for the CB2 receptor can decrease tumor cell viability and significantly attenuate cancer-induced bone pain without displaying psychoactive or addictive properties.

…antitumor effects of cannabinoids have been demonstrated in a variety of tumor models…

The antiproliferative effects of a CB2 agonist along with our previous work demonstrating significant efficacy in inhibiting bone cancer pain and slowing bone loss in a murine model of advanced breast cancer strongly suggest that CB2 agonists should be investigated in humans as adjunct therapy for advanced stages of breast cancer.

 Cannabinoid compounds, both nonspecific as well as agonists selective for either cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1) or cannabinoid receptor 2 (CB2), have been shown to modulate the tumor microenvironment by inducing apoptosis in tumor cells in several model systems.
The results of this work characterize the actions of a CB2-selective agonist on breast cancer cells in a syngeneic murine model representing how a clinical presentation of cancer progression and metastasis may be significantly modulated by a G-protein-coupled receptor.
Several groups have shown that both nonselective cannabinoid and CB2-specific compounds decrease breast cancer viability in vitro and in vivo: Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol and CB2-selective agonist, JWH-133, have been demonstrated to exert considerable antitumoral effects…”
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4847606/

Expression of cannabinoid receptors type 1 and type 2 in non-Hodgkin lymphoma: growth inhibition by receptor activation.

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“Endogenous and synthetic cannabinoids exert antiproliferative and proapoptotic effects in various types of cancer and in mantle cell lymphoma (MCL).

In this study, we evaluated the expression of cannabinoid receptors type 1 and type 2 (CB1 and CB2) in non-Hodgkin lymphomas of B cell type.

Together, our results suggest that therapies using cannabinoid receptor ligands will have efficiency in reducing tumor burden in malignant lymphoma overexpressing CB1 and CB2.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18546271