Abstract
Marijuana has been used in medicine for millennia, but it was not until 1964 that Δ9- tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC), its major psychoactive component, was isolated in pure form and its structure was elucidated. Shortly thereafter it was synthesized and became readily available. However, it took another decade until the first report on its antineoplastic activity appeared. In 1975, Munson discovered that cannabinoids suppress Lewis lung carcinoma cell growth. The mechanism of this action was shown to be inhibition of DNA synthesis. Antiproliferative action on some other cancer cells was also found. In spite of the promising results from these early studies, further investigations in this area were not reported until a few years ago, when almost simultaneously two groups initiated research on the antiproliferative effects of cannabinoids on cancer cells: Di Marzos group found that cannabinoids inhibit breast cancer cell proliferation, and Guzmans group found that cannabinoids inhibit the growth of C6 glioma cell. Other groups also started work in this field, and today, a wide array of cancer cell lines that are affected is known, and some mechanisms involved have been elucidated.
Keywords: cannabinoid, endocannabinoid, mechanisms, cancer, angiogenesis
Mini-Reviews in Medicinal Chemistry
Title: Cannabinoids and Cancer
Volume: 5 Issue: 10
Author(s): Natalya M. Kogan
Affiliation:
Keywords: cannabinoid, endocannabinoid, mechanisms, cancer, angiogenesis
Abstract: Marijuana has been used in medicine for millennia, but it was not until 1964 that Δ9- tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC), its major psychoactive component, was isolated in pure form and its structure was elucidated. Shortly thereafter it was synthesized and became readily available. However, it took another decade until the first report on its antineoplastic activity appeared. In 1975, Munson discovered that cannabinoids suppress Lewis lung carcinoma cell growth. The mechanism of this action was shown to be inhibition of DNA synthesis. Antiproliferative action on some other cancer cells was also found. In spite of the promising results from these early studies, further investigations in this area were not reported until a few years ago, when almost simultaneously two groups initiated research on the antiproliferative effects of cannabinoids on cancer cells: Di Marzos group found that cannabinoids inhibit breast cancer cell proliferation, and Guzmans group found that cannabinoids inhibit the growth of C6 glioma cell. Other groups also started work in this field, and today, a wide array of cancer cell lines that are affected is known, and some mechanisms involved have been elucidated.
Export Options
About this article
Cite this article as:
Kogan M. Natalya, Cannabinoids and Cancer, Mini-Reviews in Medicinal Chemistry 2005; 5 (10) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/138955705774329555
DOI https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/138955705774329555 |
Print ISSN 1389-5575 |
Publisher Name Bentham Science Publisher |
Online ISSN 1875-5607 |
- Author Guidelines
- Graphical Abstracts
- Fabricating and Stating False Information
- Research Misconduct
- Post Publication Discussions and Corrections
- Publishing Ethics and Rectitude
- Increase Visibility of Your Article
- Archiving Policies
- Peer Review Workflow
- Order Your Article Before Print
- Promote Your Article
- Manuscript Transfer Facility
- Editorial Policies
- Allegations from Whistleblowers
Related Articles
-
Multi-Modality Discrimination of Brain Glioma Grades Using Diffusion Tensor and Spectroscopic MRI
Recent Patents on Medical Imaging Targeted Drug Delivery to Central Nervous System (CNS) for the Treatment of Neurodegenerative Disorders: Trends and Advances
Central Nervous System Agents in Medicinal Chemistry Spinophilin: A New Tumor Suppressor at 17q21
Current Molecular Medicine Vasculogenic and Angiogenic Pathways in Moyamoya Disease
Current Medicinal Chemistry Network Pharmacology and Reverse Molecular Docking-Based Prediction of the Molecular Targets and Pathways for Avicularin Against Cancer
Combinatorial Chemistry & High Throughput Screening Immuno-Isolation in Cancer Gene Therapy
Current Gene Therapy The Holy Grail of Polymer Therapeutics for Cancer Therapy: An Overview on the Pharmacokinetics and Bio Distribution
Current Drug Metabolism Tumor-Targeting Peptides: Ligands for Molecular Imaging and Therapy
Anti-Cancer Agents in Medicinal Chemistry Enzymes To Die For: Exploiting Nucleotide Metabolizing Enzymes for Cancer Gene Therapy
Current Gene Therapy ADAMTS9-AS2: A Functional Long Non-coding RNA in Tumorigenesis
Current Pharmaceutical Design Recent Trends of Biocompatible and Biodegradable Nanoparticles in Drug Delivery: A Review
Current Medicinal Chemistry γ-Secretase Inhibitors and Modulators for the Treatment of Alzheimer's Disease: Disappointments and Hopes
Current Topics in Medicinal Chemistry Difluorinated Curcumin: A Promising Curcumin Analogue with Improved Anti-Tumor Activity and Pharmacokinetic Profile
Current Pharmaceutical Design Identification of Biomarkers and Functional Modules from Genomic Data in Stage-wise Breast Cancer
Current Bioinformatics Conjugates of Cell Adhesion Peptides for Therapeutics and Diagnostics Against Cancer and Autoimmune Diseases
Current Topics in Medicinal Chemistry Recent Strategies Combining Biomaterials and Stem Cells for Bone, Liver and Skin Regeneration
Current Stem Cell Research & Therapy Novel Therapies Against Aggressive and Recurrent Epithelial Cancers by Molecular Targeting Tumor- and Metastasis-Initiating Cells and Their Progenies
Anti-Cancer Agents in Medicinal Chemistry Diffusion-Weighted Imaging in Abdominal Oncology
Current Medical Imaging Modulation of intracellular pH in human ovarian cancer.
Current Molecular Medicine Salinomycin: A Novel Anti-Cancer Agent with Known Anti-Coccidial Activities
Current Medicinal Chemistry