Cannabis in painful HIV-associated sensory neuropathy: a randomized placebo-controlled trial
Aim: To determine the effect of smoked cannabis on the neuropathic pain of HIV-associated sensory neuropathy and an experimental pain model.
Used to classify article posts by terms used for medical conditions. It’s mostly aimed at practitioners and physicians.
Cannabinoid-based therapy as a future for joint degeneration. Focus on the role of CB2 receptor in the arthritis progression and pain: an updated review
First-line therapies are nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs; in more advanced stages, stronger analgesics, such as opioids, are required, and in the most severe cases, joint arthroplasty is the only option to ensure joint mobility. Cannabinoids, both endocannabinoids and synthetic cannabinoid receptor (CB) agonists, are novel therapeutic options for the treatment of arthritis-associated pain. CB1 receptors are mainly located in the nervous system; thus, CB1 agonists induce many side effects, which limit their therapeutic efficacy.
Therapeutic Prospects of Cannabinoids in the Immunomodulation of Prevalent Autoimmune Diseases
Cannabinoids such as ▵-9-THC and CBD can downregulate the immune response by modulating the endocannabinoid system. This modulation is relevant for the treatment of prevalent autoimmune diseases (ADs), such as multiple sclerosis (MS), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), diabetes mellitus type 1 (DMT1), and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). These conditions require new therapeutic options with fewer side effects for the control of the autoimmune response. Objective: to conduct a literature review of preclinical scientific evidence that supports further clinical investigations for the use of cannabinoids (natural or synthetic) as potential immunomodulators of the immune response in ADs.
Anandamide alters the membrane properties, halts the cell division and prevents drug efflux in multidrug resistant Staphylococcus aureus
Antibiotic resistance is a serious public health problem throughout the world. Overcoming methicillin and multidrug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA/MDRSA) infections has become a challenge and there is an urgent need for new therapeutic approaches. We have previously demonstrated that the endocannabinoid Anandamide (AEA) can sensitize MRSA to antibiotics. Here we have studied the mechanism of action using a MDRSA clinical isolate that are sensitized by AEA to methicillin and norfloxacin. We found that AEA treatment halts the growth of both antibiotic-sensitive and antibiotic-resistant S. aureus
Mini-Review Cannabis in palliative care: current challenges and practical recommendations
Pain and symptom control challenges are common in palliative care, and the search for other therapeutic strategies is ongoing. Unfortunately, patients and their caregivers are receiving little information or support from healthcare providers regarding the increasingly popular cannabinoid-based medicines (CBM). Clinicians, meanwhile, feel understandably perplexed by the discrepancy between the available evidence and the rapid interest in which patients and their families have demonstrated for CBM. There is an urgent need to address the many challenges that are delaying the appropriate integration of CBM into clinical practice, notwithstanding the obvious need for a solid general knowledge of pharmacology, mechanism of action and available clinical evidence supporting its use
Cannabidiol Treatment Results in a Common Gene Expression Response Across Aggressive Cancer Cells from Various Origins
Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is a relatively rare type of brain tumour with an incidence rate around 6 per 100,000. Even with the widely practiced combination of radiotherapy with adjuvant temozolomide, the median overall survival remains low with just 13.5 to 16 months after diagnosis. Patients and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the survival of a cohort of 15 consecutive, unselected patients with histopathologically confirmed glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) who received CBD (400 to 600 mg orally per day) in addition to standard therapy (maximum resection of the tumour followed by radio- chemotherapy). Results: Of 15 patients, seven (46.7%) are now living for at least 24 months, and four (26.7%) for at least 36 months. This is more than twice as long as has been previously reported in the literature. The mean overall survival is currently 24.2 months (median 21 months). Conclusion: CBD is a well supported co-medication and seems to prolong the survival of patients with glioblastoma multiforme.
Cannabidiol Treatment Results in a Common Gene Expression Response Across Aggressive Cancer Cells from Various Origins
We previously reported that cannabidiol (CBD), a cannabinoid with a low toxicity profile, downregulated the expression of the prometastatic gene inhibitor of DNA binding 1 (ID1) in cancer cells, leading to inhibition of tumor progression in vivo. While CBD is broadly used, including in the self-medication of cancer patients, and CBD-based therapies are undergoing clinical evaluation for cancer treatment, its mechanisms of action are still poorly understood. Methods: In this study, using microarray analysis and Western blot analysis for validation, we attempted to identify the full spectrum of genes regulated by CBD across various aggressive cancer cell lines, including the breast, brain, head and neck, and prostate. Results: We confirmed that ID1 was a major target downregulated by CBD and also discovered that CBD inhibited FOXM1 (Forkhead box M1), a transcriptional activator involved in cell proliferation, while simultaneously upregulating GDF15 (growth differentiation factor 15), a cytokine associated with tissue differentiation. Conclusion: Our results suggest that, by modulating expression of shared key cancer-driving genes, CBD could represent a promising nontoxic therapeutic for treating tumors of various origins.
Functional Fine-Tuning of Metabolic Pathways by the Endocannabinoid System—Implications for Health and Disease
The endocannabinoid system (ECS) employs a huge network of molecules (receptors, ligands, and enzymatic machinery molecules) whose interactions with other cellular networks have still not been fully elucidated. Endogenous cannabinoids are molecules with the primary function of control of multiple metabolic pathways. Maintenance of tissue and cellular homeostasis by functional fine-tuning of essential metabolic pathways is one of the key characteristics of the ECS. It is implicated in a variety of physiological and pathological states and an attractive pharmacological target yet to reach its full potential. This review will focus on the involvement of ECS in glucose and lipid metabolism, food intake regulation, immune homeostasis, respiratory health, inflammation, cancer and other physiological and pathological states will be substantiated using freely available data from open-access databases, experimental data and literature review.
Exploring the Use of Medical Marijuana for Supportive Care of Oncology Patients
Medical marijuana, also known as cannabis, is being sought by patients and survivors to alleviate common symptoms of cancer and its treatments that affect their quality of life. The National Academy of Sciences (2017) reports conclusive or substantial evidence that cannabis is successful in treating chronic cancer pain and chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting, moderate evidence that cannabinoids are beneficial for sleep disorders that accompany chronic illnesses, and limited evidence supporting use for appetite stimulation and anxiety.
Antimicrobial Studies of Cannabidiol as Biomaterials against superbug MRSA
Cannabidiol (CBD) has anti-tumorigenic activity. However, the anti-cancer effect of CBD on head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) remains unclear. The cytotoxicity of CBD on HNSCC was analyzed using cell survival and colony-forming assays in vitro. RNA-seq was used for determining the mechanism underlying CBD-induced cell death.
Cannabidiol enhances cytotoxicity of anti-cancer drugs in human head and neck squamous cell carcinoma
Cannabidiol (CBD) has anti-tumorigenic activity. However, the anti-cancer effect of CBD on head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) remains unclear. The cytotoxicity of CBD on HNSCC was analyzed using cell survival and colony-forming assays in vitro. RNA-seq was used for determining the mechanism underlying CBD-induced cell death.
Residues of herbal hemp leaf teas – How much of the cannabinoids remain?
Herbal teas of fiber-type hemp varieties (Cannabis sativa L.) rich in cannabidiolic acid (CBDA) and cannabidiol (CBD) and poor in Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol acid (THCA) and Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) are very popular today. The conditions for preparing herbal infusions are not well standardized and analysis of the lipophilic cannabinoids in infusions is difficult. Therefore, we analyzed the hemp leaf residues after tea preparation by using a response surface modelling approach to estimate the effects of variations in temperature, water volume and extraction time on the residual content of five cannabinoids (CBDA, CBD, THCA, THC, cannabinol (CBN)) in the hemp leaves after extraction.