Study: THC May Inhibit Growth of Endometrial Cancer
∆9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) may inhibit the migration of endometrial cancer cells, according to a study published by the journal Oncology Letters and epublished by the National Institute of Health.
“Limited therapeutic interventions are clinically available for treating aggressive endometrial cancer (EC)”, begins the study’s abstract. “Therefore, effective therapies are urgently required.” The present study “investigated the role of ∆9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is reported to impact proliferative and migratory activities during impairment of cancer progression.”
In the study, “cell migration in response to THC was measured using transwell assays. Using western blot analysis, the levels of cannabinoid receptors in EC tissues were detected and pathways leading to the inhibition of cell migration by THC on human EC cells were determined.”
Results suggested that “cannabinoid receptors were highly expressed in EC tissues. Furthermore, THC inhibited EC cell viability and motility by inhibiting epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and downregulating matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) gene expression in aggressive human EC cells.”
Researchers claim that “The results have the potential to promote the development of novel compounds for the treatment of EC metastasis.” They conclude by stating that “The present findings suggest that THC may inhibit human EC cell migration through regulating EMT and MMP-9 pathways.”
A study released earlier this year in the Journal of Physiology and Biochemistry concludes by stating that; “Our data further support the evaluation of CBD and CBD-rich extracts for the potential treatment of endometrial cancer, particularly, that has become non-responsive to common therapies.”