The current state and future perspectives of cannabinoids in cancer biology

Abstract

To date, cannabinoids have been allowed in the palliative medicine due to their analgesic and antiemetic effects, but increasing number of preclinical studies indicates their anticancer properties. Cannabinoids exhibit their action by a modulation of the signaling pathways crucial in the control of cell proliferation and survival. Many in vitro and in vivo experiments have shown that cannabinoids inhibit proliferation of cancer cells, stimulate autophagy and apoptosis, and have also a potential to inhibit angiogenesis and metastasis. In this review, we present an actual state of knowledge regarding molecular mechanisms of cannabinoids’ anticancer action, but we discuss also aspects that are still not fully understood such as the role of the endocannabinoid system in a carcinogenesis, the impact of cannabinoids on the immune system in the context of cancer development, or the cases of a stimulation of cancer cells’ proliferation by cannabinoids. The review includes also a summary of currently ongoing clinical trials evaluating the safety and efficacy of cannabinoids as anticancer agents.

Oxidative phosphorylation inducers fight pathological angiogenesis

“…Some of these compounds also appear to be beneficial for angiogenesis-related diseases. For example,caffeine [71,72]; polyphenols, such as curcumin, epigallocatechin gallate, quercetin, and resveratrol [73][74][75][76]; thiazolidinediones, such as rosiglitazone [77,78]; valproic acid [79,80]; D 9tetrahydrocannabinol [81,82]; and v3-polyunsaturated fatty acids, such as docosahexaenoic or eicosapentaenoic acids [83]. These compounds could be used, along with other antiangiogenic drugs, as adjuvants for either all patients with angiogenesis-related diseases or those belonging to a particular mtDNA haplogroup with a high genetic risk.…”

The Trouble with CBD Oil

“…This is based on an increasing body of preclinical evidence showing cannabinoids to be capable, under some conditions, of inhibiting the development of cancer cells in vitro or in vivo by various mechanisms of action, including induction of apoptosis, inhibition of angiogenesis, and arresting the cell cycle [16]. This is certainly exciting news, and research is ongoing around the world, but there is no solid clinical evidence yet to support that cannabinoids -whether natural or synthetic -can effectively and safely treat cancer in actual humans [17]. In fact, there are indications that certain types of cancer may even accelerate when exposed to cannabinoids [18].…”

Cannabinoids in the Pathophysiology of Skin Inflammation

“…Their adjuvant or curative potential was also assessed in several neuropsychiatric disorders, but also in oncological and dermatological diseases [8][9][10][11]. The antitumor effects of cannabinoids have been investigated in populational studies, with encouraging results in cancers with rising incidence and prevalence, such as skin melanoma, leukemia, thyroid and liver cancers, diseases that bear high mortality and are encumbering through their complications [12][13][14][15].…”