Marijuana Chemical May Fight Brain Cancer

[EDDIEKIRK]

Marijuana Chemical May Fight Brain Cancer





Active Component In Marijuana Targets Aggressive Brain Cancer Cells, Study Says


By Kelli Miller Stacy


WebMD Health News


Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD










The active chemical in marijuana promotes the death of brain cancer cells by essentially helping them feed upon themselves, researchers in Spain report.





Guillermo Velasco and colleagues at Complutense University in Spain have found that the active ingredient in marijuana, THC, causes brain cancer cells to undergo a process called autophagy. Autophagy is the breakdown of a cell that occurs when the cell essentially self-digests.





The team discovered that cannabinoids such as THC had anticancer effects in mice with human brain cancer cells and people with brain tumors. When mice with the human brain cancer cells received the THC, the tumor growth shrank.





Two patients enrolled in a clinical trial received THC directly to the brain as an experimental treatment for recurrent glioblastoma multiforme, a highly aggressive brain tumor. Biopsies taken before and after treatment helped track their progress. After receiving the THC, there was evidence of increased autophagy activity.





The findings appear in the April 1 issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation.





The patients did not have any toxic effects from the treatment. Previous studies of THC for the treatment of cancer have also found the therapy to be well tolerated, according to background information in journal article.





Study authors say their findings could lead to new strategies for preventing tumor growth.





source :
http://www.webmd.com...ht-brain-cancer






Marijuana May Stall Brain Tumor Growth


<strong>Active Ingredient in Marijuana Inhibits Cancer Growth in Early Study</strong>





By Jennifer Warner


WebMD Health News


Reviewed by Michael W. Smith, MD





Aug. 15, 2004 -- The active ingredient in marijuana may help fight brain tumors, a new study suggests.





Researchers say the cannabinoids found in marijuana may aid in brain tumor treatment by targeting the genes needed for the tumors to sprout blood vessels and grow.





Their study showed that cannabinoids inhibited genes needed for the production of vascular growth factor (VEGF) in laboratory mice with glioma brain tumors and two patients with late-stage glioblastoma multiforme, a form of brain cancer.





VEGF is a protein that stimulates blood vessels to grow. Tumors need an abundant blood supply because they generally grow rapidly. So when VEGF is blocked, tumors starve from lack of blood supply and nutrients.





Blocking of VEGF constitutes one of the most promising tumor-fighting approaches currently available, says researcher Manuel Guzman, professor of biochemistry and molecular biology, at the Complutense University in Madrid, Spain, in a news release.





Guzman says the findings suggest VEGF may be a new target for cannabinoid-based treatments. Previous studies have shown that cannabinoids could inhibit the growth of tumor-associated blood vessels in mice, but until now little was known about how they worked.





The results of the study appear in the Aug. 15 issue of the journal Cancer Research.


Cannabinoids May Help Starve Tumors





In the study, researchers looked at the effects of cannabinoid treatment on gliobastoma multiforme, a form of brain cancer that affects about 7,000 Americans each year. It's considered one of the deadliest forms of cancer and usually results in death within one to two years after diagnosis.





Treatment typically involves surgery, followed by radiation and/or chemotherapy. But despite these efforts to destroy the tumor, this type of brain tumor often survives and starts growing again, which is why researchers are looking for novel ways to attack it.





In order to grow, all tumors require a network of blood vessels to feed them, and they create this network through a process known as angiogenesis. VEGF is critical to this process.





In the first part of the study, researchers induced brain cancer in mice and then treated them with cannabinoids. They then analyzed the genes associated with the growth of blood vessels in the tumor and found that cannabinoids inhibited several of the genes related to VEGF.





In the second part of the study, researchers injected cannabinoids into tumor samples taken from two human glioblastoma patients.





"In both patients, VEGF levels in tumor extracts were lower after cannabinoid inoculation," says Guzman.





Researchers say more study is needed but the results suggest that cannabinoid-based therapies may offer a new alternative for treatment of these otherwise untreatable brain tumors.





source:
http://www.webmd.com...in-tumor-growth


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVGlfcP3ATI



Human Brains Make Their Own 'Marijuana'





ScienceDaily (Apr. 20, 2009) U.S. and Brazilian scientists have discovered that the brain manufactures proteins that act like marijuana at specific receptors in the brain itself. This discovery may lead to new marijuana-like drugs for managing pain, stimulating appetite, and preventing marijuana abuse.





"Ideally, this development will lead to drugs that bind to and activate the THC receptor, but are devoid of the side effects that limit the usefulness of marijuana," said Lakshmi A. Devi of the Department of Pharmacology and Systems Therapeutics at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York and one of the senior researchers involved in the study. "It would be helpful to have a drug that activated or blocked the THC receptor, and our findings raise the possibility that this will lead to effective drugs with fewer side effects."





Scientists made their discovery by first extracting several small proteins, called peptides, from the brains of mice and determining their amino acid sequence. The extracted proteins were then compared with another peptide previously known to bind to, but not activate, the receptor (THC) affected by marijuana. Out of the extracted proteins, several not only bound to the brain's THC receptors, but activated them as well.





"The War on Drugs has hit very close to home," said Gerald Weissmann, M.D., Editor-in-Chief of The FASEB Journal. "Last year, scientists found that our skin makes its own marijuana-like substance. Now, we see that our brain has been making proteins that act directly on the marijuana receptors in our head. The next step is for scientists to come up with new medicines that eliminate the nasty side of pota better joint, so to speak."





source:
http://www.scienceda...90420151240.htm

<div><iframe width="480" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/G4dJcU3suLc?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe>

</div>










Active Ingredient in Marijuana Kills Brain Cancer Cells


<strong>Experts say finding worth further study, but patients shouldn't light up just yet</strong>


Posted April 1, 2009





By Alan Mozes


HealthDay Reporter





WEDNESDAY, April 1 (HealthDay News) -- New research out of Spain suggests that THC -- the active ingredient in marijuana -- appears to prompt the death of brain cancer cells.





The finding is based on work with mice designed to carry human cancer tumors, as well as from an analysis of THC's impact on tumor cells extracted from two patients coping with a highly aggressive form of brain cancer.





Explaining that the introduction of THC into the brain triggers a cellular self-digestion process known as "autophagy," study co-author Guillermo Velasco said his team has isolated the specific pathway by which this process unfolds, and noted that it appears "to kill cancer cells, while it does not affect normal cells."





Velasco is with the department of biochemistry and molecular biology in the School of Biology at Complutense University in Madrid. The findings were published in the April issue of The Journal of Clinical Investigation.





The Spanish researchers focused on two patients suffering from "recurrent glioblastoma multiforme," a fast-moving form of brain cancer. Both patients had been enrolled in a clinical trial designed to test THC's potential as a cancer therapy.





Using electron microscopes to analyze brain tissue taken both before and after a 26- to 30-day THC treatment regimen, the researchers found that THC eliminated cancer cells while it left healthy cells intact.





The team also was able, in what it described as a "novel" discovery, to track the signaling route by which this process was activated.





These findings were replicated in work with mice, which had been "engineered" to carry three different types of human cancer tumor grafts.





"These results may help to design new cancer therapies


based on the use of medicines containing the active principle of marijuana and/or in the activation of autophagy," Velasco said.





Outside experts suggested that more research is needed before advocating marijuana as a medicinal intervention for brain cancer.





Dr. John S. Yu, co-director of the Comprehensive Brain Tumor Program in the Maxine Dunitz Neurosurgical Institute at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, said the findings were "not surprising."





"There have been previous reports to this effect as well," he said. "So this is yet another indication that THC has an anti-cancer effect, which means it's certainly worth further study. But it does not suggest that one should jump at marijuana for a potential cure for cancer, and one should not urge anyone to start smoking pot right away as a means of curing their own cancer."





But that's exactly what many brain cancer patients have been doing, said Dr. Paul Graham Fisher, the Beirne Family director of Neuro-Oncology at Stanford University.





"In fact, 40 percent of brain tumor patients in the U.S. are already using alternative treatments, ranging from herbals to vitamins to marijuana," he said. "But that actually points out a cautionary tale here, which is that many brain cancer patients are already rolling a joint to treat themselves, but we're not really seeing brain tumors suddenly going away as a result, which we clearly would've noticed if it had that effect. So we need to be open-minded. But this suggests that the promise of THC might be a little over-hoped, and certainly requires further investigation before telling people to go out and roll a joint."





source:
http://health.usnews...ain-cancer.html

Ted Kennedy's Brain Cancer Can Be Fought


The senator, like the author, was struck by a sudden seizure. She has outlasted a grim prognosis


By Bernadine Healy, M.D.


Posted May 20, 2008





I have been praying for Sen. Ted Kennedy since Saturday, when he was rushed to the hospital because of an out-of-the-blue seizure. I knew all too well that the most likely diagnosis, considering his presentation and age, was a brain tumor. Today we hear it's a malignant glioma in the left parietal lobe of his brain, a dominant area that controls, among other functions, the ability to comprehend and express words. As he and his family are trying hard, no doubt, to digest this shocking news, they must also face the dark stories that are being blasted all over the airways about his illnessalmost as if he were no longer with us. It brings chills to me, not just as a doctor who has cared for many with serious illness but also as a patient who, like the senator, once had a sudden seizure that led to the detection of a malignant glioma. Mine, too, was in the left parietal lobe.





As I commented in my book Living Time and in an excerpt in U.S.News last year about my own battle with brain cancer, gliomas are rare and often forgotten tumors that strike fear into anyone's heartin part because we have known so little about them. Though the senator's doctors have not yet shared details of his exact tumor type, those particulars will be crucial, because all malignant gliomas are not created equal. In the coming days we will learn more about his outlook. But it is worth remembering that prognoses are estimatesand can be misleading. When I was diagnosed, it looked like I would not see my 12-year-old daughter complete middle school. This past weekend, she graduated from college.





To a large degree, the prognosis in brain cancer depends on a given tumor's characteristicshow it looks under the microscope, its genetic profile (which increasingly guides newer and better therapies), and, importantly, how it responds to treatment. In other words, Senator Kennedy's outlook depends on the traits of his particular tumoras well as the patient himself. And if there is one thing we know about this patient, it's that he's a determined fighter.



http://health.usnews...lated-links:TOP













Can Cannabis Cure Brain Cancer?





Apr 3, 2009





In another boost for the cred of marijuana as a potential valuable medicine, researchers in Spain have found that cannabis could be a treatment and perhaps a future cure for brain cancer - in a study done on both rats and humans:





Hope Ted Kennedy gets the word.





WASHINGTON (AFP) The main chemical in marijuana appears to aid in the destruction of brain cancer cells, offering hope for future anti-cancer therapies, researchers in Spain wrote in a study released Thursday.





The authors from the Complutense University in Madrid, working with scientists from other universities, found that the active component of marijuana, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), causes cancer cells to undergo a process called autophagy -- the breakdown that occurs when the cell essentially self-digests.





The research, which appears in the April edition of US-published Journal of Clinical Investigation, demonstrates that THC and related "cannabinoids" appear to be "a new family of potential antitumoral agent."





The authors wrote that the chemical may prove useful in the development of future "antitumoral agents."





source:
http://www.fodors.co...rain-cancer.cfm

The active chemical in marijuana promotes the death of brain cancer cells by essentially helping them feed upon themselves, researchers in Spain report.





Guillermo Velasco and colleagues at Complutense University in Spain have found that the active ingredient in marijuana, THC, causes brain cancer cells to undergo a process called autophagy. Autophagy is the breakdown of a cell that occurs when the cell essentially self-digests.





The team discovered that cannabinoids such as THC had anticancer effects in mice with human brain cancer cells and people with brain tumors. When mice with the human brain cancer cells received the THC, the tumor growth shrank.





Two patients enrolled in a clinical trial received THC directly to the brain as an experimental treatment for recurrent glioblastoma multiforme, a highly aggressive brain tumor. Biopsies taken before and after treatment helped track their progress. After receiving the THC, there was evidence of increased autophagy activity.





The findings appear in the April 1 issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation.





The patients did not have any toxic effects from the treatment. Previous studies of THC for the treatment of cancer have also found the therapy to be well tolerated, according to background information in journal article.





Study authors say their findings could lead to new strategies for preventing tumor growth.








Ref:
http://www.webmd.com...ht-brain-cancer


How Medical Marijuana Works







The Therapeutic Uses of Cannabis and Cannabinoids



There are over 400 natural compounds in medical marijuana and, of these, eighty are only found in cannabis plants. These eighty special compounds are known as cannabinoids. Cannabinoids relieve symptoms of illness by attaching to receptors in the brain that look for similar compounds that occur in the human body, such as dopamine.

There are five major cannabinoids in medical marijuana that are particularly effective for relieving symptoms of illness, and each one produces different physical and psychological effects. This is why certain strains of medical marijuana are bred to have different amounts of each cannabinoid and are recommended for different conditions.





Major Cannabinoids in Medical Marijuana







What THC Is and Its Effects



THC stands for delta-9-tetrahydrocannibinol. It is probably the best known cannabinoid present in medical marijuana. Physically it acts as a muscle relaxant and anti-inflammatory and psychologically it acts as a stimulant. This makes medical marijuana strains high in THC a good choice for patients who need relief while also to remain alert and active. THC in medical marijuana acts in the following ways:

• anti-epileptic
  
  
  
• anti-inflammatory
  
  
  
• anti-depressant
  
  
  
• stimulates appetite
  
  
  
• lowers blood pressure
  
  
  

What CBD Is and Its Effects



CBD stands for cannabidiol. Cannabidiol actually reduces the psychological effects of medical marijuana. For most patients, a strain that has high THC and high cannabidiol will have fewer mental effects and more physical ones. High cannabidiol medical marijuana strains, like Blueberry and Harlequin, are especially effective for illnesses with strong physical symptoms. Cannabidiols effects include:

• reduced pain
  
  
  
• reduced anxiety
  
  
  
• reduced nausea
  
  
  
• sedative effects
  
  
  
• anti-convulsive
  
  
  
• anti-schizophrenic
  
  
  

What CBN Is and Its Effects



CBN is cannabinol, not to be confused with Cannabidiol. Cannabinol is very similar to THC, but has less psychological effects. It is produced as THC breaks down within the medical marijuana plant. High THC will make cannabinols effects stronger, and very high cannabinol concentrations can produce undesirably strong head highs. Cannabinol levels tend to be high in medical marijuana strains like Strawberry Haze and Blue Rhino, which can be particularly helpful for:

• lowering pressure in the eye (such as with glaucoma)
  
  
  
• analgesic
  
  
  
• anti-seizure
  
  
  

What CBC Is and Its Effects



CBC stands for cannabichromene. Cannabichromenes main action is to enhance the effects of THC. High cannabichromene levels will make a high-THC medical marijuana strain much more potent. Cannabichromene working together with THC is known to be a:

• sedative
  
  
  
• analgesic
  
  
  
• anti-inflammatory
  
  
  

What CBG Is and Its Effects



CBG is an abbreviation for cannabigerol. Cannabigerol has no psychological effects on its own, and is not usually found in high amounts in most medical marijuana. Scientists believe that cannabigerol is actually one of the oldest forms of cannabinoids, meaning it is essentially a parent to the other cannabinoids found in medical marijuana. It also has anti-microbial properties. Cannabigerol has physical effects such as:

• lowering pressure in the eye
  
  
  
• anti-inflammatory
  
  
  
• sedative
  
  
  
• sleep assistance
  
  
  

Combining Strains



Alone, none of the five major cannabinoids are as effective as when they work together. These five cannabinoids also work with the minor compounds in marijuana, and this is probably one reason that medical marijuana replacements like Marinol do not work very well.

Professional medical marijuana growers can analyze their medical marijuana strains to breed and grow medication for patients with the desired range of levels of each major cannabinoid. Using this knowledge of what each compound does helps medical marijuana pharmacists, or budtenders, find the right combination for patients to treat specific conditions and find maximum relief.

[usstoner]

nice read man...thanks for sharing...