Abstract
Cannabinoids, the
active components of Cannabis sativa L., act in the body by mimicking
endogenous substances--the endocannabinoids--that activate specific cell
surface receptors. Cannabinoids exert various palliative effects in
cancer patients. In addition, cannabinoids inhibit the growth of
different types of tumor cells, including glioma cells, in laboratory
animals. They do so by modulating key cell signaling pathways, mostly
the endoplasmic reticulum stress response, thereby inducing antitumoral
actions such as the apoptotic death of tumor cells and the inhibition of
tumor angiogenesis. Of interest, cannabinoids seem to be selective
antitumoral compounds, as they kill glioma cells, but not their
non-transformed astroglial counterparts. On the basis of these
preclinical findings, a pilot clinical study of
Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in patients with recurrent
glioblastoma multiforme has been recently run. The good safety profile
of THC, together with its possible growth-inhibiting action on tumor
cells, justifies the setting up of future trials aimed at evaluating the
potential antitumoral activity of cannabinoids.
Velasco G1, Carracedo A, Blázquez C, Lorente M, Aguado T, Haro A, Sánchez C, Galve-Roperh I, Guzmán M.
Author information
- 1Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology I, School of Biology, Complutense University, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
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