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Cannabinoid-based medicines in clinical care of chronic non-cancer pain: an analysis of pain mechanism and cannabinoid profile

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Among treatments for chronic non-cancer pain (CNCP), cannabinoid-based medicines (CBMs) have become extremely popular. Evidence remains modest and limited primarily to delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) for neuropathic pain; nevertheless, the use of various CBMs, including cannabidiol (CBD) to treat neuropathic, nociceptive, and mixed pain has increased globally. This observational case-series assessed the impact of CBMs as a complementary treatment by pain mechanism and cannabinoid profile over three months.

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Cannabinoid receptor 2 expression in early-stage non-small cell lung cancers identifies patients with good prognosis and longer survival

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Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is a leading cause of cancer-related death with a 5-year survival of only 21%. Reliable prognostic and/or predictive biomarkers are needed to improve NSCLC patient stratification, particularly in curative disease stages. Since the endogenous cannabinoid system is involved in both carcinogenesis and anticancer immune defense, we hypothesized that tumor tissue expression of cannabinoid 1 and 2 receptors (CB1 and CB2) may affect survival.

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Antitumor Effects of Cannabis sativa Bioactive Compounds on Colorectal Carcinogenesis

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Cannabis sativa is a multipurpose plant that has been used in medicine for centuries. Recently, considerable research has focused on the bioactive compounds of this plant, particularly cannabinoids and terpenes. Among other properties, these compounds exhibit antitumor effects in several cancer types, including colorectal cancer (CRC). Cannabinoids show positive effects in the treatment of CRC by inducing apoptosis, proliferation, metastasis, inflammation, angiogenesis, oxidative stress, and autophagy. Terpenes, such as β-caryophyllene, limonene, and myrcene, have also been reported to have potential antitumor effects on CRC through the induction of apoptosis, the inhibition of cell proliferation, and angiogenesis. In addition, synergy effects between cannabinoids and terpenes are believed to be important factors in the treatment of CRC. This review focuses on the current knowledge about the potential of cannabinoids and terpenoids from C. sativa to serve as bioactive agents for the treatment of CRC while evidencing the need for further research to fully elucidate the mechanisms of action and the safety of these compounds.

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Cannabidiol Treatment Results in a Common Gene Expression Response Across Aggressive Cancer Cells from Various Origins

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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.

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Standardized Cannabis sativa extract attenuates tau and stathmin gene expression in the melanoma cell line.

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Authors: Golnaz Vaseghi, Mohamad Javad Taki, Shaghayegh Haghjooy Javanmard
Iranian journal of basic medical sciences, October 2017
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OBJECTIVES: Metastasis is the main cause of death in patients with melanoma. Cannabis-based medicines are effective adjunctive drugs in cancer patients. Tau and Stathmin proteins are the key proteins in cancer metastasis. Here we have investigated the effect of a standardized…

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