Tag Archives: therapy

Cannabis Use, Effect And Potential Therapy For Alzheimer’s, MS and Parkinson’s

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“The illegal status and wide-spread use of cannabis made basic and clinical cannabis research difficult in the past decades; on the other hand, it has stimulated efforts to identify the psychoactive constituents of cannabis. As a consequence, the endocannabinoid system was discovered, which was shown to be involved in most physiological systems — the nervous, the cardiovascular, the reproductive, the immune system, to mention a few.

One of the main roles of endocannabinoids is neuroprotection, but over the last decade they have been found to affect a long list of processes, from anxiety, depression, cancer development, vasodilatation to bone formation and even pregnancy.

Cannabinoids and endocannabinoids are supposed to represent a medicinal treasure trove which waits to be discovered…

The endocannabinoid system acts as a guardian against various attacks on the mammalian body.

Conclusion

The above described research concerning the endocannabinoid-system is of importance in both basic science and in therapeutics:

  • The discovery of the cannabis plant active constituent has helped advance our understanding of cannabis use and its effects.
  • The discovery of the endocannabinoids has been of central importance in establishing the existence of a new biochemical system and its physiological roles — in particular in neuroprotection.
  • These discoveries have opened the door for the development of novel types of drugs, such as THC for the treatment of nausea and for enhancing appetite in cachectic patients.
  • The endocannabinoid system is involved in the protective reaction of the mammalian body to a long list of neurological diseases such as multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease which raises hope for novel therapeutic opportunities for these diseases.”

More: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071014163644.htm

Marijuana may block Alzheimer’s

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“The active ingredient in marijuana may stall decline from Alzheimer’s disease, research suggests.” 

Brain

 

“Scientists showed a synthetic version of the compound may reduce inflammation associated with Alzheimer’s and thus help to prevent mental decline.

They hope the cannabinoid may be used to develop new drug therapies.”

More: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4286435.stm

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/

 

Researchers Have Discovered Synthetic Agents Used To Treat HIV Inflammation – Medical News Today

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“HIV can cause serious inflammation, regardless of drug therapy, as it develops slowly in immune cells called macrophages. However, new research conducted at the Temple University School of Medicine’s Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and Center for Substance Abuse Research (CSAR) has just found that there are synthetic agents with anti-inflammatory properties, related to the active ingredient in cannabis, THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) which could limit and treat the chronic inflammation.

These findings suggest that CB2 agonists could be used along with antiretroviral drugs which could lead to a new form of therapy for HIV/AIDS.

It also suggests that the human immune system itself could be used to fight off the HIV infection.

According to Persidsky: “Our study suggests that the body’s own natural defenses can be made more powerful to fight some of the worst symptoms of HIV.”

Stimulating CB2 receptors could also be applied for treating other infections.”

More: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/260152.php

Turned-Off Cannabinoid Receptor Turns on Colorectal Tumor Growth – MDAnderson

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“Researchers find CB1 suppresses tumors, a new potential path for treatment, prevention.”

 “New preclinical research shows that cannabinoid cell surface receptor CB1 plays a tumor-suppressing role in human colorectal cancer, scientists report in the Aug. 1 edition of the journal Cancer Research.

CB1 is well-established for relieving pain and nausea, elevating mood and stimulating appetite by serving as a docking station for the cannabinoid group of signaling molecules. It now may serve as a new path for cancer prevention or treatment.

“Potential application of cannabinoids as anti-tumor drugs is an exciting prospect, because cannabinoid agonists are being evaluated now to treat the side-effects of chemotherapy and radiation therapy,” DuBois said.

 “Turning CB1 back on and then treating with a cannabinoid agonist could provide a new approach to colorectal cancer treatment or prevention.”

Cannabinoids are a group of ligands that serve a variety of cell-signaling roles. Some are produced by the body internally (endocannabinoids). External cannabinoids include manmade versions and those present in plants, most famously the active ingredient in marijuana (THC).”

More:  http://www.mdanderson.org/newsroom/news-releases/2008/turned-off-cannabinoid-receptor-turns-on-colorectal-tumor-growth.html

Intractable nausea and vomiting due to gastrointestinal mucosal metastases relieved by tetrahydrocannabinol (dronabinol).

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“Four years following resection of a Clark’s level IV malignant melanoma, a 50-year-old man developed widespred metastatic disease involving the liver, bones, brain, gastrointestinal mucosa, and lungs. One week after whole brain radiation therapy, he was admitted to the hospital for nausea, vomiting, and pain.

He was treated with several antiemetic drugs, but it was not until dronabinol was added that the nausea and vomiting stopped.

Dronabinol was an effective antiemetic used in combination with prochlorperazine in nausea and vomiting unresponsive to conventional antiemetics.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9392925

Effect of a synthetic cannabinoid agonist on the proliferation and invasion of gastric cancer cells.

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“Although cannabinoids are associated with antineoplastic activity in a number of cancer cell types, the effect in gastric cancer cells has not been clarified. In the present study, we investigated the effects of a cannabinoid agonist on gastric cancer cell proliferation and invasion.

The cannabinoid agonist WIN 55,212-2 inhibited the proliferation of human gastric cancer cells in a dose-dependent manner and that this effect was mediated partially by the CB(1) receptor. We also found that WIN 55,212-2 induced apoptosis and down-regulation of the phospho-AKT expression in human gastric cancer cells. Furthermore, WIN 55,212-2 treatment inhibited the invasion of gastric cancer cells, and down-regulated the expression of MMP-2 and VEGF-A through the cannabinoid receptors.

Our results open the possibilities in using cannabinoids as a new gastric cancer therapy.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20336665

Cannabinoid Receptor Agonist as an Alternative Drug in 5-fluorouracil-resistant Gastric Cancer Cells.

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“Fluorouracil is the main chemotherapeutic drug used for gastrointestinal cancers, which suffers the important problem of treatment resistance. There is little information whether cannabinoid agonists can be used as an alternative drug for fluorouracil-resistant gastric cancer cells. In this study, we investigated the effects of a cannabinoid agonist, WIN-55,212-2, on 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)-resistant human gastric cancer cells, to examine whether the cannabinoid agonist may be an alternative therapy.

These results indicate that a cannabinoid agonist may, indeed, be an alternative chemotherapeutic agent for 5-FU-resistant gastric cancer.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23749906

Cannabinoids Attenuate Cancer Pain and Proliferation in a Mouse Model

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“Oral cancer represents 3% of all cancers and its overall survival rate of 50% places it among the worst of all cancers

For many years cannabinoids have been used for medicinal and recreational purposes.

Recently, studies have focused on the therapeutic effects of cannabinoids on different cancers. The current study was the first to investigate the therapeutic effects of synthetic cannabinoids on oral cancer.

We investigated the effects of cannabinoid receptor agonists on (1) oral cancer cell viability in vitro and (2) oral cancer pain and tumor growth in a mouse cancer model.

Here we demonstrate the anti-nociceptive and anti-proliferative effects of systemic administration of cannabinoid receptor agonists on human oral cancer cells.

Our results suggest that systemic administration of cannabinoids decease oral cancer pain.

Our findings suggest a direct role for cannabinoid mechanisms in oral cancer pain and proliferation.

The systemic administration of cannabinoid receptor agonists may have important therapeutic implications wherein cannabinoid receptor agonists may reduce morbidity and mortality of oral cancer.

The present findings suggest that cannabinoid treatment may be a promising alternative therapy for oral cancer pain management. Furthermore, CBr2 agonism is not only palliative, but it may also be effective in inhibiting oral cancer growth, making the agonist a particularly desirable therapeutic agent.”

Full Text: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3099480/

Evidence: Cannabinoid Therapy Reduces Breast Cancer Tumors

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“Warning: Many alternative treatments are shams with zero proof. Most alternatives make claims that are not backed up by any evidence or hard empirical medical studies, are are not peer-reviewed. 
 
Peer review means your study and its claims will be vetted by a panel of the best doctors and other medical professionals in that field, for critical review. They will try to find fault in its methodology before publication and its recommendations for possible human treatment.
 
For any cannabis-based study strong enough to stand up to this critical review, and for it to be published in a major journal within such a field as cancer research, is incredible. That’s exactly how strong the evidence for cannabis medicine is starting to become.
 
Imagine that. This plant, this “great friend of humanity” which has helped us survive by giving early humans food, fuel, fiber and medicine, and who ancient healers wrote about in 6000 B.C., more than 8,000 years ago, is now coming back to prove itself and to help save us again.
 
And this time we are starting to find the evidence to back up the claims made for this plant over the centuries…”