Welcome members and clients of OMMP PIF. Due to increased costs, our website has moved to this server, Thanks go to our Friend and colleague, Wired57, for making this possible. If you have any questions or concerns, please start a new topic in 
Thank you 
07-04-2012, 11:17 AM
Cannabinoid Receptor Agonists May Be Novel Class of
Anti-Lymphoma Agents
Publication date: July 25, 2002
Source: Reuters
Author: Faith Reidenbach
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Jul 25 - Delta-9-tetrahydrocannibinol (THC), the major component of marijuana, and other cannabinoids induce apoptosis in murine tumors of immune origin, according to researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond.
Like other immune cells, cancers of the immune system express a cannabinoid receptor known as CB2, Dr. Mitzi Nagarkatti explained in an interview with Reuters Health. Compounds that bind CB2 receptors selectively induce apoptosis in these cancer cells, she said. Moreover, "compounds that interact with CB2 will not exhibit psychotropic effects."
In a series of in vitro experiments, Dr. Nagarkatti and her colleagues exposed murine lymphoma and mastocytoma cells to four cannabinoid receptor agonists. THC and two of the others significantly reduced cell viability and increased apoptosis, they report in the July 15th issue of Blood.
In vivo experiments confirmed the effect of THC. Ten days after mice were injected with lymphoma cells, cells collected from animals treated with the highest dose of THC showed 77.3% apoptosis. Two weeks of THC treatment cured 25% of lymphoma-bearing mice.
"It is possible that the immunosuppressive effects of THC may have interfered with the host's antitumor immunity, which may account for a lower percentage of cures," the researchers comment. They are currently conducting murine dose-ranging studies.
The research group also demonstrated that three human leukemia and lymphoma cell lines expressed CB2 and not CB1. Three cannabinoids, including THC, induced apoptosis in these cell lines in vitro, and THC showed the same effect when cultured with cells from patients diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
"Recently, however, we identified a human cell line that was resistant," Dr. Nagarkatti's team reports. "Further studies are in progress to address whether this cell line lacks physical or functional cannabinoid receptors and/or signaling molecules that trigger apoptosis."
In addition, the research team is currently "screening a large number of CB2 analogs to identify compounds that are highly efficacious in killing the cancer cells," Dr. Nagarkatti said. "We are also investigating whether endogenous cannabinoids can exert antitumor activity."
Blood 2002;100:627-634.
source: http://www.letfreedo...nd_lymphoma.htm
Publication date: July 25, 2002
Source: Reuters
Author: Faith Reidenbach
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Jul 25 - Delta-9-tetrahydrocannibinol (THC), the major component of marijuana, and other cannabinoids induce apoptosis in murine tumors of immune origin, according to researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond.
Like other immune cells, cancers of the immune system express a cannabinoid receptor known as CB2, Dr. Mitzi Nagarkatti explained in an interview with Reuters Health. Compounds that bind CB2 receptors selectively induce apoptosis in these cancer cells, she said. Moreover, "compounds that interact with CB2 will not exhibit psychotropic effects."
In a series of in vitro experiments, Dr. Nagarkatti and her colleagues exposed murine lymphoma and mastocytoma cells to four cannabinoid receptor agonists. THC and two of the others significantly reduced cell viability and increased apoptosis, they report in the July 15th issue of Blood.
In vivo experiments confirmed the effect of THC. Ten days after mice were injected with lymphoma cells, cells collected from animals treated with the highest dose of THC showed 77.3% apoptosis. Two weeks of THC treatment cured 25% of lymphoma-bearing mice.
"It is possible that the immunosuppressive effects of THC may have interfered with the host's antitumor immunity, which may account for a lower percentage of cures," the researchers comment. They are currently conducting murine dose-ranging studies.
The research group also demonstrated that three human leukemia and lymphoma cell lines expressed CB2 and not CB1. Three cannabinoids, including THC, induced apoptosis in these cell lines in vitro, and THC showed the same effect when cultured with cells from patients diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
"Recently, however, we identified a human cell line that was resistant," Dr. Nagarkatti's team reports. "Further studies are in progress to address whether this cell line lacks physical or functional cannabinoid receptors and/or signaling molecules that trigger apoptosis."
In addition, the research team is currently "screening a large number of CB2 analogs to identify compounds that are highly efficacious in killing the cancer cells," Dr. Nagarkatti said. "We are also investigating whether endogenous cannabinoids can exert antitumor activity."
Blood 2002;100:627-634.
source: http://www.letfreedo...nd_lymphoma.htm
Medical Marijuana Endorsed by Leukemia and Lymphoma Society
With a vote on medical marijuana looming in the U.S. House of Representatives, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society has adopted a formal policy position calling for removal of criminal and civil penalties for seriously ill patients using marijuana with their doctor's recommendation.
The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society is the second largest cancer charity in the U.S., and the world's largest voluntary health organization dedicated to funding blood cancer research, education and patient services.
Whats the best course of treatment for sometimes terminally ill patients? Jail-time? Or allowing the use of medical marijuana? Join us on the new Canna Zine cannabis forums and have your say.
As the House prepared to vote on an amendment to bar Justice Department interference with state medical marijuana laws, the society's resolution cites federal interference with medical marijuana research, the harm that can be done to seriously ill patients by poor quality prison health care, and the wide support for legal access to medical marijuana within the medical community.
It states, "[T]he Leukemia & Lymphoma Society supports legislation to remove criminal and civil sanctions for the doctor-advised, medical use of marijuana by patients with serious physical medical conditions." The statement also calls for an end to federal prosecutions of patients in states that permit medical use of marijuana.
"This should put to rest forever the lie that the medical and scientific communities don't support medical marijuana," said Aaron Houston, director of government relations for the Marijuana Policy Project in Washington, D.C.
"As the House of Representatives prepares to consider medical marijuana, members need to ask themselves a simple question: What is better for seriously ill patients, medical marijuana or jail?
There is no medical organization anywhere that believes jailing the sick is good for them, and yet that is precisely what federal policy does."
Journalists can contact MPP director of communications Bruce Mirken at the numbers above for a complete copy of the LLS resolution.
With more than 23,000 members and 100,000 e-mail subscribers nationwide, the Marijuana Policy Project is the largest marijuana policy reform organization in the United States. MPP believes that the best way to minimize the harm associated with marijuana is to regulate marijuana in a manner similar to alcohol
source: http://pr.cannazine....nt/view/564/27/
With more than 23,000 members and 100,000 e-mail subscribers nationwide, the Marijuana Policy Project is the largest marijuana policy reform organization in the United States. MPP believes that the best way to minimize the harm associated with marijuana is to regulate marijuana in a manner similar to alcohol. For more information, please visit www.MarijuanaPolicy.org.
<strong>Marijuana
</strong>
Other common name(s): pot, grass, cannabis, weed, hemp, hash, marihuana, ganja
Scientific/medical name(s):
Cannabis sativa
<strong>Description
</strong>
Cannabis sativa
is an annual plant that grows wild in warm and tropical climates throughout the world and is cultivated commercially. The leaves and buds of the plant have been used in herbal remedies for centuries. Scientists have identified 66 biologically active components, called
cannabinoids
, in marijuana. The most potent of these is thought to be the chemical
delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol
, or THC, although other active substances are being studied.
<strong>Overview
</strong>
The medical use of marijuana is limited because different strains of the plant contain different amounts of various compounds, which makes effects hard to predict. Medical researchers have isolated substances from the plant (cannabinoids) that can be used in precise doses alone and in combinations with other medicines to achieve more predictable effects. Certain cannabinoid drugs have been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to relieve nausea and vomiting and increase appetite in people with cancer and AIDS. Other marijuana extracts are still being tested.
<strong>How is it promoted for use?
</strong>
THC and marijuana are promoted to relieve pain, control nausea and vomiting, and stimulate appetite in people with cancer and AIDS. Researchers also report that THC decreases pressure within the eyes, therefore reducing the severity of glaucoma.
Some supporters claim that marijuana has anti-bacterial properties, inhibits tumor growth, and enlarges the airways, which they believe can ease the severity of asthma attacks. Others claim that marijuana can be used to control seizures and muscle spasms in people who have epilepsy and spinal cord injuries.
<strong>What does it involve?
</strong>
Marijuana leaves, stems, seeds, and flowers are typically shredded and dried before use. In this crude form, marijuana is most commonly smoked in pipes, homemade cigarettes, or hollowed out cigars. It also may be mixed with foods and eaten, or made into tea. It can be made into a more concentrated, resinous form called
hashish
, or a sticky black liquid, hash oil. Possessing or selling crude or raw marijuana is illegal under federal law in the United States. Whole or crude marijuana is not approved by the FDA for any medical use.
There are chemically pure drugs based on marijuana compounds that have been approved in the US for medical use. The active ingredient THC has been available by prescription as dronabinol in pill or suppository form since 1985. A second drug, nabilone, is much like a cannabinoid. It is also a prescription drug, and is sometimes used when other drugs fail to reduce nausea and vomiting after chemotherapy. More recently, a chemically pure mixture of THC and cannabidiol (CBD) called Sativex was made into a mouth spray. This prescription spray has been approved in Canada and parts of Europe to relieve pain linked to cancer as well as muscle spasms and pain from multiple sclerosis. It is not yet approved in the US as of early 2012, but it is being tested in clinical trials to see if it will help relieve cancer pain.
What is the history behind it?
Anti-Lymphoma Agents
Publication date: July 25, 2002
Source: Reuters
Author: Faith Reidenbach
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Jul 25 - Delta-9-tetrahydrocannibinol (THC), the major component of marijuana, and other cannabinoids induce apoptosis in murine tumors of immune origin, according to researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond.
Like other immune cells, cancers of the immune system express a cannabinoid receptor known as CB2, Dr. Mitzi Nagarkatti explained in an interview with Reuters Health. Compounds that bind CB2 receptors selectively induce apoptosis in these cancer cells, she said. Moreover, "compounds that interact with CB2 will not exhibit psychotropic effects."
In a series of in vitro experiments, Dr. Nagarkatti and her colleagues exposed murine lymphoma and mastocytoma cells to four cannabinoid receptor agonists. THC and two of the others significantly reduced cell viability and increased apoptosis, they report in the July 15th issue of Blood.
In vivo experiments confirmed the effect of THC. Ten days after mice were injected with lymphoma cells, cells collected from animals treated with the highest dose of THC showed 77.3% apoptosis. Two weeks of THC treatment cured 25% of lymphoma-bearing mice.
"It is possible that the immunosuppressive effects of THC may have interfered with the host's antitumor immunity, which may account for a lower percentage of cures," the researchers comment. They are currently conducting murine dose-ranging studies.
The research group also demonstrated that three human leukemia and lymphoma cell lines expressed CB2 and not CB1. Three cannabinoids, including THC, induced apoptosis in these cell lines in vitro, and THC showed the same effect when cultured with cells from patients diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
"Recently, however, we identified a human cell line that was resistant," Dr. Nagarkatti's team reports. "Further studies are in progress to address whether this cell line lacks physical or functional cannabinoid receptors and/or signaling molecules that trigger apoptosis."
In addition, the research team is currently "screening a large number of CB2 analogs to identify compounds that are highly efficacious in killing the cancer cells," Dr. Nagarkatti said. "We are also investigating whether endogenous cannabinoids can exert antitumor activity."
Blood 2002;100:627-634.
source: http://www.letfreedo...nd_lymphoma.htm
Publication date: July 25, 2002
Source: Reuters
Author: Faith Reidenbach
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Jul 25 - Delta-9-tetrahydrocannibinol (THC), the major component of marijuana, and other cannabinoids induce apoptosis in murine tumors of immune origin, according to researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond.
Like other immune cells, cancers of the immune system express a cannabinoid receptor known as CB2, Dr. Mitzi Nagarkatti explained in an interview with Reuters Health. Compounds that bind CB2 receptors selectively induce apoptosis in these cancer cells, she said. Moreover, "compounds that interact with CB2 will not exhibit psychotropic effects."
In a series of in vitro experiments, Dr. Nagarkatti and her colleagues exposed murine lymphoma and mastocytoma cells to four cannabinoid receptor agonists. THC and two of the others significantly reduced cell viability and increased apoptosis, they report in the July 15th issue of Blood.
In vivo experiments confirmed the effect of THC. Ten days after mice were injected with lymphoma cells, cells collected from animals treated with the highest dose of THC showed 77.3% apoptosis. Two weeks of THC treatment cured 25% of lymphoma-bearing mice.
"It is possible that the immunosuppressive effects of THC may have interfered with the host's antitumor immunity, which may account for a lower percentage of cures," the researchers comment. They are currently conducting murine dose-ranging studies.
The research group also demonstrated that three human leukemia and lymphoma cell lines expressed CB2 and not CB1. Three cannabinoids, including THC, induced apoptosis in these cell lines in vitro, and THC showed the same effect when cultured with cells from patients diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
"Recently, however, we identified a human cell line that was resistant," Dr. Nagarkatti's team reports. "Further studies are in progress to address whether this cell line lacks physical or functional cannabinoid receptors and/or signaling molecules that trigger apoptosis."
In addition, the research team is currently "screening a large number of CB2 analogs to identify compounds that are highly efficacious in killing the cancer cells," Dr. Nagarkatti said. "We are also investigating whether endogenous cannabinoids can exert antitumor activity."
Blood 2002;100:627-634.
source: http://www.letfreedo...nd_lymphoma.htm
Medical Marijuana Endorsed by Leukemia and Lymphoma Society
With a vote on medical marijuana looming in the U.S. House of Representatives, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society has adopted a formal policy position calling for removal of criminal and civil penalties for seriously ill patients using marijuana with their doctor's recommendation.
The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society is the second largest cancer charity in the U.S., and the world's largest voluntary health organization dedicated to funding blood cancer research, education and patient services.
Whats the best course of treatment for sometimes terminally ill patients? Jail-time? Or allowing the use of medical marijuana? Join us on the new Canna Zine cannabis forums and have your say.
As the House prepared to vote on an amendment to bar Justice Department interference with state medical marijuana laws, the society's resolution cites federal interference with medical marijuana research, the harm that can be done to seriously ill patients by poor quality prison health care, and the wide support for legal access to medical marijuana within the medical community.
It states, "[T]he Leukemia & Lymphoma Society supports legislation to remove criminal and civil sanctions for the doctor-advised, medical use of marijuana by patients with serious physical medical conditions." The statement also calls for an end to federal prosecutions of patients in states that permit medical use of marijuana.
"This should put to rest forever the lie that the medical and scientific communities don't support medical marijuana," said Aaron Houston, director of government relations for the Marijuana Policy Project in Washington, D.C.
"As the House of Representatives prepares to consider medical marijuana, members need to ask themselves a simple question: What is better for seriously ill patients, medical marijuana or jail?
There is no medical organization anywhere that believes jailing the sick is good for them, and yet that is precisely what federal policy does."
Journalists can contact MPP director of communications Bruce Mirken at the numbers above for a complete copy of the LLS resolution.
With more than 23,000 members and 100,000 e-mail subscribers nationwide, the Marijuana Policy Project is the largest marijuana policy reform organization in the United States. MPP believes that the best way to minimize the harm associated with marijuana is to regulate marijuana in a manner similar to alcohol
source: http://pr.cannazine....nt/view/564/27/
With more than 23,000 members and 100,000 e-mail subscribers nationwide, the Marijuana Policy Project is the largest marijuana policy reform organization in the United States. MPP believes that the best way to minimize the harm associated with marijuana is to regulate marijuana in a manner similar to alcohol. For more information, please visit www.MarijuanaPolicy.org.
<strong>Marijuana
</strong>
Other common name(s): pot, grass, cannabis, weed, hemp, hash, marihuana, ganja
Scientific/medical name(s):
Cannabis sativa
<strong>Description
</strong>
Cannabis sativa
is an annual plant that grows wild in warm and tropical climates throughout the world and is cultivated commercially. The leaves and buds of the plant have been used in herbal remedies for centuries. Scientists have identified 66 biologically active components, called
cannabinoids
, in marijuana. The most potent of these is thought to be the chemical
delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol
, or THC, although other active substances are being studied.
<strong>Overview
</strong>
The medical use of marijuana is limited because different strains of the plant contain different amounts of various compounds, which makes effects hard to predict. Medical researchers have isolated substances from the plant (cannabinoids) that can be used in precise doses alone and in combinations with other medicines to achieve more predictable effects. Certain cannabinoid drugs have been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to relieve nausea and vomiting and increase appetite in people with cancer and AIDS. Other marijuana extracts are still being tested.
<strong>How is it promoted for use?
</strong>
THC and marijuana are promoted to relieve pain, control nausea and vomiting, and stimulate appetite in people with cancer and AIDS. Researchers also report that THC decreases pressure within the eyes, therefore reducing the severity of glaucoma.
Some supporters claim that marijuana has anti-bacterial properties, inhibits tumor growth, and enlarges the airways, which they believe can ease the severity of asthma attacks. Others claim that marijuana can be used to control seizures and muscle spasms in people who have epilepsy and spinal cord injuries.
<strong>What does it involve?
</strong>
Marijuana leaves, stems, seeds, and flowers are typically shredded and dried before use. In this crude form, marijuana is most commonly smoked in pipes, homemade cigarettes, or hollowed out cigars. It also may be mixed with foods and eaten, or made into tea. It can be made into a more concentrated, resinous form called
hashish
, or a sticky black liquid, hash oil. Possessing or selling crude or raw marijuana is illegal under federal law in the United States. Whole or crude marijuana is not approved by the FDA for any medical use.
There are chemically pure drugs based on marijuana compounds that have been approved in the US for medical use. The active ingredient THC has been available by prescription as dronabinol in pill or suppository form since 1985. A second drug, nabilone, is much like a cannabinoid. It is also a prescription drug, and is sometimes used when other drugs fail to reduce nausea and vomiting after chemotherapy. More recently, a chemically pure mixture of THC and cannabidiol (CBD) called Sativex was made into a mouth spray. This prescription spray has been approved in Canada and parts of Europe to relieve pain linked to cancer as well as muscle spasms and pain from multiple sclerosis. It is not yet approved in the US as of early 2012, but it is being tested in clinical trials to see if it will help relieve cancer pain.
What is the history behind it?