A new study published in Pharmaceuticals found that cannabidiol (CBD) reduced breast cancer cell growth, promoted apoptosis and altered the expression of genes tied to several major cancer pathways.

Researchers from Recep Tayyip Erdogan University and Yozgat Bozok University examined the effects of CBD on two breast cancer cell lines: MCF-7, which is sensitive to the chemotherapy drug doxorubicin, and MCF-7/Adr, which is resistant to it.

The study found that CBD reduced colony formation, induced apoptosis and inhibited cell invasion in both cell lines after 48 hours of treatment. The effective concentrations were 17.57 micromolar for MCF-7 cells and 11.41 micromolar for MCF-7/Adr cells.

Using RT-qPCR, researchers also found that CBD significantly altered genes involved in angiogenesis, apoptosis, the cell cycle, cellular senescence, DNA damage and repair, epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, hypoxia, metabolism, telomeres and telomerase.

The findings suggest CBD may interfere with multiple cancer-related processes, including tumor cell proliferation and survival. Researchers said the results indicate that CBD “could be an effective natural bioactive compound for breast cancer treatment,” with activity observed in both doxorubicin-sensitive and doxorubicin-resistant breast cancer cells.

While the study was conducted in cell models rather than humans, the results add to a growing body of research examining CBD’s potential anti-cancer properties and its impact on treatment-resistant cancer pathways.