2024-02-14 18:56:14
Researchers: Cannabis extract eliminates deadly skin cancer cells!
A concentrated extract of marijuana has shown a “remarkable” ability to eliminate the most dangerous types of skin cancer.
True, it is still early days, but if the results can be replicated in live animal models and then in humans, this could provide a completely new drug approach to a disease that is currently difficult to treat (skin cancer).
The hemp oil in question is known as PHEC-66, and was developed by MGC Pharmaceuticals in Australia.
In October 2023, the company funded a study that found that PHEC-66 stopped isolated melanoma cell lines from spreading in the laboratory.
Follow-up research, conducted by scientists at RMIT University and Charles Darwin University (CDU), has confirmed these findings.
The team’s findings indicate that cannabis extract prevents melanoma cells from multiplying, by forcing the disease to kill itself.
To further explain, biomedical scientist Nazem Nassar at CDU said, “Damage to the melanoma cell prevents it from dividing into new cells, and instead initiates programmed cell death, also known as apoptosis.” He added, “Whether this works in a living animal is another matter that still needs to be investigated.” “No clinical trials have been conducted on hemp oil yet, and high-quality research on the ability of hemp compounds to fight cancer is still scant.” This is according to what was reported by the “Science Alert” website from the prestigious scientific journal “Cellse”.
Humans have used cannabis as medicine for thousands of years, yet its recent improper use in the past century or so has greatly hampered scientific research.
In this context, and in a bold step, in 2016 Australia legalized the use of cannabis for medical purposes, allowing scientific teams to investigate the drug’s potential to treat a large number of diseases.
In the past few years alone, researchers in Australia have found great potential for cannabis to kill certain types of cancer cells; All this without affecting normal, healthy cells.
In 2020, for example, a biotech company in Australia found that some cannabis varieties could cause leukemia cells to die in the laboratory, supporting research from elsewhere in the world that has been in place for more than a decade.
In 2015, scientists in the United States found that when cannabinoid receptors on non-melanoma skin cancer cells were targeted, the cells began to suffer oxidative stress, leading to apoptosis.
A few years ago, researchers in Italy found that cannabis compounds showed similar results in fighting pancreatic cancer. Skin cancer is now being added to the list.
Nizar comments on this matter by saying, “This is a growing area of important research because we need to understand cannabis extracts as much as possible, especially their ability to act as anti-cancer agents. “If we know how they interact with cancer cells, and especially what causes cell death, we can improve treatment techniques to be more specific, responsive and effective.” He explained, “The results of the current study indicate that PHEC-66 leads to apoptosis by stimulating DNA fragmentation, stopping cell growth through division, and significantly raising levels of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS).
ROS are short-lived but highly reactive molecules, and when they rise, they can cause damage to many different parts of the cell. However, if the damaged cell reaches the point of no return, it may sacrifice itself for the “greater” good.
In vitro, PHEC-66 appears to increase apoptosis in three melanoma cell lines, by targeting cannabinoid receptors and allowing ROS to accumulate within the cell.
More animal studies are now needed to see if the results apply to cancer cells in live models.
For example, researchers still need to know how to apply the drug and at what dose. Only then can clinical trials in humans be considered.
Today, research on most cannabis compounds remains confined to the laboratory; While preliminary experiments suggest that some cannabinoids can inhibit cell growth and cause cell death, other candidates appear to actually encourage the growth of cancer cells.
There are hundreds of cannabis compounds in the plant, and researchers have only scratched the surface of their medicinal potential. While it’s too early to say whether the cannabis plant will help advance cancer treatments in the future, when it comes to hard-to-treat killers like skin cancer, there’s every reason to keep looking.
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