A study published today by the DARU Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences reports that combining cannabidiol (CBD) with the anti-cancer drug bevacizumab significantly enhanced cancer cell death in a laboratory model of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), the most common and deadly form of lung cancer worldwide.
The research was conducted by scientists from Hamdard College of Medicine and Dentistry and United Medical and Dental College, who used the A549 human NSCLC cell line to examine how the two compounds performed individually and together.
Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer-related mortality globally, with the 5-year survival rate for NSCLC hovering around 15%. Given these poor outcomes, researchers continue exploring novel combination therapies that may improve treatment effectiveness.
In the study, A549 cells were treated with CBD, bevacizumab, or a combination of both. Cell proliferation was measured using an MTT assay, apoptosis (programmed cell death) was assessed via flow cytometry, and changes in gene and protein expression were evaluated using Western blotting and quantitative PCR.
Both CBD and bevacizumab independently reduced cancer cell proliferation in a dose-dependent manner. CBD alone induced apoptosis in 15.23% ± 0.42 of cells, while bevacizumab triggered apoptosis in 21.97% ± 0.50. However, when used together, apoptosis surged to 50.47% ± 0.67, a statistically significant increase (p < 0.001).
Protein analysis revealed that the combination therapy significantly decreased levels of Bcl-2, an anti-apoptotic protein, while increasing expression of caspase-9, a key pro-apoptotic protein (p < 0.001). Additionally, the combined treatment substantially reduced expression of the metastasis-associated genes MMP-2 and MMP-9 compared to either compound alone (p < 0.001), suggesting a potential role in limiting cancer spread.
Researchers conclude that pairing CBD with bevacizumab produces a markedly stronger anti-cancer effect in NSCLC cells than either agent individually, supporting further investigation into this combination as a potential therapeutic strategy.
