Dr. David Allen discusses how the rules of engagement in the war on drugs are being violated by the U.S. government, and how the body of science that now uses cannabinoid-based medicines should be used throughout America as well, not just in emergency rooms and through prescriptions, but through the ingestion of the whole plant, daily, as a supplement to their diet.
Colon cancer affects millions of individuals in Western countries. Cannabidiol, a safe and non-psychotropic ingredient of Cannabis sativa, exerts pharmacological actions (antioxidant and intestinal antinflammatory) and mechanisms (inhibition of endocannabinoid enzymatic degradation) potentially beneficial for colon carcinogenesis. Thus, we investigated its possible chemopreventive effect in the model of colon cancer induced by azoxymethane (AOM) in mice. AOM treatment was associated with aberrant crypt foci (ACF, preneoplastic lesions), polyps, and tumour formation, up-regulation of phospho-Akt, iNOS and COX-2 and down-regulation of caspase-3. Cannabidiol-reduced ACF, polyps and tumours and counteracted AOM-induced phospho-Akt and caspase-3 changes. In colorectal carcinoma cell lines, cannabidiol protected DNA from oxidative damage, increased endocannabinoid levels and reduced cell proliferation in a CB1-, TRPV1- and PPARγ-antagonists sensitive manner. It is concluded that cannabidiol exerts chemopreventive effect in vivo and reduces cell proliferation through multiple mechanisms.
[ View Full Text ]
Although cannabinoids exhibit a broad variety of anticarcinogenic effects, their potential use in cancer therapy is limited by their psychoactive effects. Here we evaluated the impact of cannabidiol, a plant-derived non-psychoactive cannabinoid, on cancer cell invasion. Using Matrigel invasion assays we found a cannabidiol-driven impaired invasion of human cervical cancer (HeLa, C33A) and human lung cancer cells (A549) that was reversed by antagonists to both CB1 and CB2receptors as well as to transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1). The decrease of invasion by cannabidiol appeared concomitantly with upregulation of tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinases-1 (TIMP-1). Knockdown of cannabidiol-induced TIMP-1 expression by siRNA led to a reversal of the cannabidiol-elicited decrease in tumor cell invasiveness, implying a causal link between the TIMP-1-upregulating and anti-invasive action of cannabidiol. P38 and p42/44 mitogen-activated protein kinases were identified as upstream targets conferring TIMP-1 induction and subsequent decreased invasiveness. Additionally, in vivo studies in thymic-aplastic nude mice revealed a significant inhibition of A549 lung metastasis in cannabidiol-treated animals as compared to vehicle-treated controls. Altogether, these findings provide a novel mechanism underlying the anti-invasive action of cannabidiol and imply its use as a therapeutic option for the treatment of highly invasive cancers.
[ View Full Text ]
Abstract
The cannabinoid 1 (CB1) and cannabinoid 2 (CB2) receptor agonist Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) has been shown to be a broad-range inhibitor of cancer in culture and in vivo, and is currently being used in a clinical trial for the treatment of glioblastoma. It has been suggested that other plant-derived cannabinoids, which do not interact efficiently with CB1 and CB2 receptors, can modulate the actions of Δ9-THC. There are conflicting reports, however, as to what extent other cannabinoids can modulate Δ9-THC activity, and most importantly, it is not clear whether other cannabinoid compounds can either potentiate or inhibit the actions of Δ9-THC. We therefore tested cannabidiol, the second most abundant plant-derived cannabinoid, in combination with Δ9-THC. In the U251 and SF126 glioblastoma cell lines, Δ9-THC and cannabidiol acted synergistically to inhibit cell proliferation. The treatment of glioblastoma cells with both compounds led to significant modulations of the cell cycle and induction of reactive oxygen species and apoptosis as well as specific modulations of extracellular signal-regulated kinase and caspase activities. These specific changes were not observed with either compound individually, indicating that the signal transduction pathways affected by the combination treatment were unique. Our results suggest that the addition of cannabidiol to Δ9-THC may improve the overall effectiveness of Δ9-THC in the treatment of glioblastoma in cancer patients. Mol Cancer Ther; 9(1); 180–9
[ View Full Text ]
This study revealed that Id-1, EGFR and VEGF took part in development and progression of colorectal carcinomas and that Id-1 was associated with regulations of EGFR and VEGF. The results of this study support the idea that not only EGFR and VEGF but also Id-1 could be new targets in cancer treatment.
[ View Full Text ]
…the 36-month survival rate of patients with high ID-1 was poor (60%), whereas that of the patients with low ID-1 was significantly higher (83%). ID-1 correlated with microvessel counts in uterine cervical cancers. ID-1 expression also correlated significantly with histoscore. Therefore, ID-1 might work on tumour advancement through angiogenic activity and is considered to be a candidate for a prognostic indicator in uterine cervical cancers.
[ View Full Text ]
Abstract
The inhibitor of differentiation/DNA binding 1 (Id-1), a negative regulator of basic helix-loop-helix transcription factors, plays an important role in the regulation of cell proliferation and differentiation. We examined the Id-1 expression by immunohistochemistry in 9 adenomas, 79 primary colorectal adenocarcinomas matched with 40 adjacent normal mucosa specimens and its relationship with clinicopathological factors. The Id-1 expression was increased in the carcinoma compared to the adjacent normal mucosa either in the unmatched and matched samples or to the adenoma. There was no significant difference in the Id-1 expression between normal mucosa and adenoma. The Id-1 expression of carcinoma was increased from Dukes’ stages A to B, to C and to D. The cases with lymph node metastasis had a higher rate of a stronger Id-1 expression than those without lymph node metastasis. In conclusion, Id-1 overexpression plays an important role in colorectal cancer progression.
[ View Full Text ]
Recently, we have shown that the non-psychoactive cannabinoid compound cannabidiol (CBD) induces apoptosis of glioma cells in vitro and tumor regression in vivo. The present study investigated a possible involvement of caspase activation and reactive oxygen species (ROS) induction in the apoptotic effect of CBD. CBD produced a gradual, time-dependent activation of caspase-3, which preceded the appearance of apoptotic death. In addiction, release of cytochrome c and caspase-9 and caspase-8 activation were detected. The exposure to CBD caused in glioma cells an early production of ROS, depletion of intracellular glutathione and increase activity of glutathione reductase and glutathione peroxidase enzymes. Under the same experimental condition, CBD did not impair primary glia. Thus, we found a different sensitivity to the anti-proliferative effect of CBD in human glioma cells and non-transformed cells that appears closely related to a selective ability of CBD in inducing ROS production and caspase activation in tumor cells.
[ View Full Text ]
Strong or moderate expression of Id-1 was a strong predictor for shorter overall survival. The level of Id-1 protein expression correlates with the malignant potential of ovarian tumors. In cancer samples, stronger Id-1 expression is associated with poor differentiation and more aggressive behavior of tumor cells, resulting in poor clinical outcome. Consequently, Id-1 inhibition in the future might be of benefit for patients with ovarian cancer.
[ View Full Text ]
We investigated the prognostic influence of Id-1 expression in 89 patients with cervical cancer. patients with strong or moderate expression of Id-1 had a significant shorter overall survival time and disease-free survival time compared with those with low or absent Id-1 expression. Id-1 expression is an independent prognostic marker in early-stage cervical cancer.
[ View Full Text ]
