Psychoactive Compound in Cannabis Inhibits Tumor Growth in Cancer Patients: Study

Psychoactive ingredient in cannabis inhibits tumor growth in cancer patients, finds a study.

Many health experts oppose the idea of legalizing marijuana that was recently proven to have medical benefits. The adverse effects of smoking the recreational drug like euphoria, anxiety and other long- term psychological disorders and fear of over dependency were cited as reasons for not welcoming its use for health purposes. Scientists at the University of East Anglia discovered the compound Tetrahydrocannabinol or THC in cannabis can shrink cancerous tumors. The study used breast cancer cells from human tissues to induce tumor formation in mice.

The mice were given appropriate doses of anti-cancer compounds in the tumor region and experts identified two receptor cells or cannabinoid receptors that responded to THC.

"We show that these effects are mediated via the joint interaction of CB2 and GPR55 - two members of the cannabinoid receptor family. Our findings help explain some of the well-known but still poorly understood effects of THC at low and high doses on tumor growth," said Peter McCormick, study author and researcher from the University of East Anglia in a news release.

"There has been a great deal of interest in understanding the molecular mechanisms behind how marijuana, and specifically THC, influence cancer pathology," he adds.

Many pharmaceutical companies and manufactures have tried creating synthetic drugs with anti-cancer properties but, detecting receptor cells in tumors plays a major role in the development of treatments and therapeutics to cure cancer. However, findings of the current study urge patients not to self-medicate or use cannabis without seeking medical opinion.

"Our research uses an isolated chemical compound and using the correct concentration is vital. Cancer patients should not use cannabis to self-medicate, but I hope that our research will lead to a safe synthetic equivalent being available in the future," said McCormick.

More information is available online in the Journal of Biological Chemistry.