cannabisnews.com: Marijuana May Yield Cancer-Fighting Drugs





Marijuana May Yield Cancer-Fighting Drugs
Posted by CN Staff on September 14, 2004 at 13:36:02 PT
By Miranda Hitti, WebMD Medical News
Source: WebMD
Marijuana's active ingredient may form the basis for new antiviral drugs that fight cancer-causing herpes viruses.Professor Peter Medveczky, MD, of the University of South Florida's medical microbiology and immunology department, and H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute in Tampa, and colleagues worked on the study. Their report appears in the Sept. 15 issue of the journal BMC Medicine.
Key Ingredient The researchers focused on marijuana's active ingredient, delta-9-tetrahydrocannibol (THC).In tissue culture tests, THC blocked the reactivation of various types of herpes viruses. Infection with herpes virus is recurrent and lifelong. The virus lies dormant in nerve tissue in infected people after symptoms have gone away. Later the virus can reactivate itself leading to an increasing number of viruses and causing another symptomatic infection.In the study, researchers tested THC against various herpes viruses including Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpes virus (KSHV) and Epstein-Barr virus. Kaposi's sarcoma, prevalent among people with AIDS and a common form of cancer in Africa, stems from KSHV.Cancers of cells from the immune system such as Burkitt's lymphoma and Hodgkin's disease are associated with Epstein-Barr virus, a member of the herpes virus family.In the presence of THC, cells infected with the viruses couldn't reactivate.THC may interfere with a gene called ORF50, which is found in these herpes viruses, say the researchers. This gene helps turn on the virus's machinery that is involved with reactivating the virus; it also helps start viral replication.Not a Fix for Herpes The researchers also tested THC on herpes simplex-1, which causes cold sores.It didn't work.THC appears to specifically work against herpes viruses that cause these tumors -- gamma herpes viruses. New Drugs Ahead? The findings may lead to the development of new drugs that thwart cancer-causing herpes viruses from reactivating, say the researchers.Any new antiviral drugs based on THC would not have marijuana's psychoactive effects.The next step is testing THC's benefits on lab animals.No Pot Prescription According to a news release, Medveczky says that since THC can suppress the immune system, smoking marijuana might do more harm than good to patients infected with these viruses who often have weakened immune systems."Our findings do not recommend that people take pot to prevent or treat cancers associated with gamma herpes viruses," says Medveczky in the news release.Sources: Medveczky, P. BMC Medicine, Sept. 15, 2004. News release, BioMed Central.Note: Pot's Active Ingredient Shows Promise in Lab Tests.Reviewed By Brunilda Nazario, MDSource: WebMD (US)Author: Miranda Hitti, WebMD Medical NewsPublished: Tuesday, September 14, 2004 Copyright: 2004 WebMD Inc.Contact: Sswint webmd.net Website: http://www.webmd.com/Related Articles:Marijuana May Stall Brain Tumor Growthhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread19339.shtmlCannabis Hope for Brain Cancer http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread19338.shtmlMarijuana Ingredient Inhibits VEGF Pathway http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread19337.shtml
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Comment #6 posted by agog on September 14, 2004 at 18:09:24 PT
BGreen - Thank You for the Study Information
Thank you for the linksAgog
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Comment #5 posted by FoM on September 14, 2004 at 17:05:14 PT
Thank You BGreen!
Here are two more article.UCSF Study Finds No Harm to HIV+ Patients: 
http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread17093.shtmlMarijuana Use Does Not Accelerate HIV Infection:
http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread17092.shtml 
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Comment #4 posted by FoM on September 14, 2004 at 15:33:12 PT
Related Article from Innovations Report
Marijuana as an Anti-Viral Drug? 
 September 14, 2004The active ingredient of cannabis, delta-9-tetrahydrocannibol (THC), can prevent the replication and activation of several forms of herpes known to cause cancer, according to an article published today in BMC Medicine. This finding could lead the way to the creation of anti-viral drugs based on non-psychoactive derivatives of THC. The gamma herpes viruses, Kaposi’s Sarcoma Associated Herpes virus and Epstein-Barr virus (which causes glandular fever), predispose infected individuals to cancers such as Kaposi’s sarcoma, Burkitt’s lymphoma, and Hodgkin’s disease. Kaposi’s sarcoma is particularly prevalent in AIDS sufferers, and is now the most common form of cancer in Africa. Once infected, it is almost impossible to get rid of the viruses, as they can lie dormant for long periods within lymphoid cells (a type of white blood cell of crucial importance to the immune system). The dormant viruses can also reactivate, bursting out of cells, spreading between individuals and causing the symptoms of disease. Dr. Peter Medveczky and his colleagues from University of South Florida found that this reactivation was prevented if infected cells were grown in the presence of THC. In addition, though cultured cells that are infected with a mouse gamma herpes virus die as the virus reactivates, the cells can survive if they are cultured along with THC - further evidence that THC prevents viral reactivation. The researchers showed that THC acts specifically on gamma herpes viruses, as the chemical was unable to prevent the reactivation of another related virus, herpes simplex-1, which causes cold sores. Previous research has shown THC to be a more potent and selective antiviral agent against gamma herpes viruses than the commonly used acyclovir, gancicyclovir and foscarnet. Dr. Medveczky believes that THC has its inhibitory effect by directly or indirectly targeting a viral gene shared by gamma herpes viruses, called ORF50. By preventing activation of this gene, THC can prevent the replication of the virus that this gene controls. "We believe that studies on cannabinoids and herpes viruses are important to continue because there are obvious benefits," write the authors. "Better understanding may lead to the development of specific non-psychoactive drugs that may inhibit reactivation of cancer-causing herpes viruses." However, Dr. Medveczky also stresses that THC can act as an immunosuppressant. So smoking marijuana could cause more harm than good to patients infected with these viruses, who often have weakened immune systems already. Whether THC would be predominantly beneficial can only be tested in experimental animals (e.g. mice infected with the murine gamma herpesvirus). "We have not evaluated the effect of THC in an animal model yet," he said. "Therefore, our findings do not recommend that people take pot to prevent or treat cancers associated with gamma herpesviruses." This press release is based on the following article: Delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) inbibits lytic replication of gamma oncogenic herpes viruses in vitro Maria M Medveczky, Tracy A Sherwood, Thomas W Klein, Herman Friedman and Peter G Medveczky BMC Medicine 2004, 2:34 To be published 15 September 2004
 
 
http://www.innovations-report.com/html/reports/medicine_health/report-33489.html
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Comment #3 posted by BGreen on September 14, 2004 at 15:22:45 PT
Medveczky Doesn't Know SQUAT about AIDS
HIV and Cannabis May Mix After AllPosted by CN Staff on August 20, 2003 at 10:04:17 PT
Press Release 
Source: HealthScout.com Short-term use of medical marijuana causes no harm to people with HIV who are on combination antiretroviral therapy, says a University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) study.Researchers found no harmful changes in HIV levels in the participants when they smoked marijuana or took dronabinol, an oral medical cannabinoid.The 25-day study included 62 HIV-infected people on antiretroviral regimens containing a protease inhibitor. The volunteers were divided into three groups: 20 smoked marijuana, 22 received dronabinol, and 20 received an oral placebo.Researchers measured changes in HIV levels in the blood of the volunteers as well as the counts for CD 4 and CD 8 T lymphocyte cells, which are disease-fighting white blood cells that defend against infection and are targeted and destroyed by the AIDS virus.In all three groups, patients with detectable levels of HIV had no change in the levels of virus in their blood. CD 4 T-cell counts increased by about 20 per cent for both the groups that used marijuana and dronabinol. CD 8 T-cell counts increased by 20 per cent in the marijuana group and by 10 per cent in the dronabinol group.There was no increase in CD 4 or CD 8 T-cell counts in the placebo group.The study was published in the Aug. 19 issue of the journal Annals of Internal Medicine."The change in lymphocyte counts for the smoked marijuana group is intriguing. At a minimum, it contradicts findings from previous studies suggesting that smoked marijuana suppresses the immune system," study author Dr. Donald Abrams, a USCF professor of clinical medicine, says in a news release."People with HIV are a vulnerable population, so successfully addressing the safety concerns allows us to move on to effectiveness studies, three of which are currently under way here," Abrams says.
HIV and Cannabis May Mix After All
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Comment #2 posted by Agog on September 14, 2004 at 14:47:04 PT
Immune Suppression
Can, May, Might, Could............Medveczky says that since THC can suppress the immune system,smoking marijuana might do more harm than good to patients infected with these viruses who often have weakened
immune systems.Is there anyone that can point to a study that shows this? If so what level of suppression occurs? and how does that impact the body overall?What about HIV? how can a person that is HIV+ consume cannabis and not go into some big tailspin?And in the meantime the hidden PROZAC studies are starting to bubble to the surface... still on the market.Grocery/Pharmacy chains will now monitor our prescriptions for us and tell that we are about to run out... so go to the good Dr. and get it renewed so you won't have to be without your government approved pharmaceutical straitjackets.... Yeah! I feel so safe and respected now.Agog....... Yup
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Comment #1 posted by FoM on September 14, 2004 at 13:39:04 PT
Just a Comment
When will they remove Cannabis out of Schedule I?
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