New Study Finds Cannabinoids Can Combat Breast Cancer

New Study Finds Cannabinoids Can Combat Breast Cancer

A nearly 10-year long study conducted by researchers at California Pacific Medical Center’s Research Institute, and published this month by the British Journal of Pharmacology, has found that cannabinoids can combat breast cancer progression.

“The psychoactive cannabinoid Δ⁹ -tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and the non-psychoactive cannabinoid cannabidiol (CBD) can both reduce cancer progression each through distinct antitumor pathways”, begins the study’s abstract. “Our goal was to discover a compound that could efficiently target both cannabinoid antitumor pathways.”

While conducting the study, researchers found that cannabidiol reduced breast cancer metastasis by up to 75% in mice; “CBD reduced breast cancer metastasis in advanced stages of the disease as the direct result of down-regulating the transcriptional regulator Id1.. this was associated with moderate increases in survival”.

Researchers then used the synthetic cannabinoid O-1663, which closely mimics the effects of cannabis by targeting both THC and CBD-associated antitumor pathways.

“[O-1663] inhibited Id1 [a transcriptional regulator], produced a marked stimulation of ROS [reactive oxygen species], upregulated autophagy, and induced apoptosis. Of all compounds tested, it was the most potent at inhibiting breast cancer cell proliferation and invasion in culture and metastasis in vivo.”

Researchers conclude; “O-1663 prolonged survival in advanced stages of breast cancer metastasis. Developing compounds that can simultaneously target multiple cannabinoid antitumor pathways efficiently may provide a novel approach for the treatment of patients with metastatic breast cancer.”

The full study, which has important implications for the use of cannabis in treating breast cancer, can be found by clicking here.

– TheJointBlog