According to a new study published in the peer-reviewed journal Toxicology in Vitro, cannabis-based extracts “have great abilities for preventing breast cancer cell metastasis in in vitro experiments.”
“Breast cancer is the highest incidence of all types of cancer in women, and the cancer metastasis process accounts for a majority of cancer deaths”, states the study’s abstract. “Two major cannabinoids, Δ-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD), from Cannabis sativa are expected to have anti-cancer activity.”
This study “aimed to investigate the effects of THC, CBD, and standardized cannabis extracts (F1, F2, and F3) on migration, invasion, and apoptosis of human breast cancer (MCF-7) cells.” The study was conducted by researchers at Prince of Songkla University in Thailand.
For the study, “Cell viability, survival, and apoptosis were determined using the MTT, clonogenic, and nuclear staining assays, respectively, while cancer cell migration and invasion were evaluated by the wound healing, trans-well, and filopodia assays. Western blot analysis was used to find out the mechanisms of the cannabinoids against MCF-7 cells.”
CBD, THC, and F1 “inhibited filopodia formation, migration, and invasion of MCF-7 cells through suppressing the expression of the FAK, Akt, ERK1/2, p38MAPKs, and NF-κB upstream pathways, as well as inhibiting the Rac1/Cdc42 downstream pathways”, staters the study. “In addition, CBD significantly inhibited the mTOR pathway. Furthermore, CBD and F1 induced apoptosis in MCF-7 cells via the Bcl-2/caspase-3 pathways.”
The study concludes:
These results indicate that THC, CBD, and F1 have great abilities for preventing breast cancer cell metastasis in in vitro experiments.
More information on this study can be found by clicking here.
