cannabisnews.com: Cannabis Chemicals May Help Fight Prostate Cancer
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Cannabis Chemicals May Help Fight Prostate Cancer
Posted by CN Staff on August 18, 2009 at 19:15:25 PT
By Ben Hirschler
Source: Reuters
London -- Chemicals in cannabis have been found to stop prostate cancer cells from growing in the laboratory, suggesting that cannabis-based medicines could one day help fight the disease, scientists said Wednesday.After working initially with human cancer cell lines, Ines Diaz-Laviada and colleagues from the University of Alcala in Madrid also tested one compound on mice and discovered it produced a significant reduction in tumor growth.
Their research, published in the British Journal of Cancer, underlines the growing interest in the medical use of active chemicals called cannabinoids, which are found in marijuana.Experts, however, stressed that the research was still exploratory and many more years of testing would be needed to work out how to apply the findings to the treatment of cancer in humans."This is interesting research which opens a new avenue to explore potential drug targets but it is at a very early stage," said Lesley Walker, director of cancer information at Cancer Research UK, which owns the journal."It absolutely isn't the case that men might be able to fight prostate cancer by smoking cannabis," she added.The cannabinoids tested by the Spanish team are thought to work against prostate cancer because they block a receptor, or molecular doorway, on the surface of tumour cells. This stops them from dividing.In effect, the cancer cell receptors can recognize and "talk to" chemicals found in cannabis, said Diaz-Laviada."These chemicals can stop the division and growth of prostate cancer cells and could become a target for new research into potential drugs to treat prostate cancer," she said.Her team's work with two cannabinoids -- called methanandamide and JWH-015 -- is the first demonstration that such cannabis chemicals prevent cancer cells from multiplying.Some drug companies are already exploring the possibilities of cannabinoids in cancer, including British-based cannabis medicine specialist GW Pharmaceuticals.It is collaborating with Japan's Otsuka on early-stage research into using cannabis extracts to tackle prostate cancer -- the most commonly diagnosed cancer in men -- as well as breast and brain cancer.GW has already developed an under-the-tongue spray called Sativex for the relief of some of the symptoms of multiple sclerosis, which it plans to market in Europe with Bayer and Almirall.Other attempts to exploit the cannibinoid system have met with mixed success. Sanofi-Aventis was forced to withdraw its weight-loss drug Acomplia from the market last year because of links to mental disorders.Editing by Simon JessopSource: Reuters (Wire)Author: Ben HirschlerPublished: August 18, 2009Copyright: 2009 Thomson ReutersCannabisNews Medical Marijuana Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml
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Comment #8 posted by observer on August 21, 2009 at 13:46:11 PT
But Never take Cannabis!
"It absolutely isn't the case that men might be able to fight prostate cancer by smoking cannabis," she added.Wait a sec... they never determined this at all. They didn't look at this question in this study. But given this encouraging study, we need to look and see if cannabis itself reduces incidence of prostate cancer - as it does for other cancers. How many times have we heard the song, Sure: scientific studies show pot fights cancer - but don't use it!Don't use natural cannabis, oh no! But here, wait for corporately produced, patentable cannabinoid analogues to come out (ones never found in nature, having chlorines and fluorines where they shouldn't).When we tell you it is OK, these patented cannabinoid-like franken-molecules might have some desirable (from a corporate/government point of view) attributes - and probably quite a few side effects (lord knows - recalling Viox and Celebrex).One effect they won't have is anything pleasant or like the so-called "high" of cannabis. Probably quite the opposite (remembering Rimonabant).
http://drugnewsbot.org/pot
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Comment #7 posted by Rainbow on August 19, 2009 at 10:16:58 PT
DEAth
Our government because they embargoed data and research essentially killed my father. he died of prostrate cancer and could have been cured. He would not even try it for pallitive care, he was a military officer who did not want to break the law.DAMN the DEAth, HHS, Nixon and others.
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Comment #6 posted by GeoChemist on August 19, 2009 at 04:49:51 PT
Paul
I have been beating the cancer drum for years; I am the in-your-face of our side and have paid for it via a SERT team raid of my home over one, that's right, ONE cannabis plant. Now instead of silencing me that incident only served to make me more in-your-face. Prohibs don't like to be bullied back.............
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Comment #5 posted by paul armentano on August 18, 2009 at 21:30:10 PT
My take on Reuters!
http://blog.norml.org/2009/08/18/reuters-pot-kills-cancer-but-dont-even-think-about-using-it/
http://www.norml.org
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Comment #4 posted by Hope on August 18, 2009 at 20:16:55 PT
Accomplia was and is not a cannabinoid.
or a cannibinoid... I guess. This is the first time I recall reading of a "cannibinoid" system."Other attempts to exploit the cannibinoid system have met with mixed success. Sanofi-Aventis was forced to withdraw its weight-loss drug Acomplia from the market last year because of links to mental disorders."Acomplia is a cannabinoid inhibitor or blocker.Inhibiting and blocking cannabinoids linked to mental disorders.
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Comment #3 posted by paul armentano on August 18, 2009 at 20:10:24 PT
Also...
It should be pointed out that Reuters erred in calling these agents cannabinoids. They are actually synthetic, selective CB2 AGONISTS. In other words, they are chemicals created in a lab to bind to the CB2 receptors only. After all, we can't possibly have cancer patients feeling any sense of euphoria, and if the real thing works, well then something created in a lab and marketed by Big Pharma must work better. Ugh!
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Comment #2 posted by HempWorld on August 18, 2009 at 19:53:15 PT
Yes Paul, And Have You Noticed ... 
Reuters and API always say: Cannabis May ... (and it may not, of course ...)and""It absolutely isn't the case that men might be able to fight prostate cancer by smoking cannabis," she added."Oh no! Actually yes!And then the final close: "many more years of testing would be needed"Yes, we need more research (and more cops, troops etc.) as usual, but do things really change?
Legalize All Drugs!
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Comment #1 posted by paul armentano on August 18, 2009 at 19:26:26 PT
Old news -- like 35 years old!
The Feds have known this for 35 years! They even know the mechanism of action now (apoptosis and inhibition of angiogenesis). The REAL question that is NEVER asked by the MSM is why, in three decades, have we not progressed from preclinical trials regarding cannabinoids' anti-cancer effects to human trials?J Natl Cancer Inst. 1975 Sep;55(3):597-602.Links
Antineoplastic activity of cannabinoids.Munson AE, Harris LS, Friedman MA, Dewey WL, Carchman RA.
Lewis lung adenocarcinoma growth was retarded by the oral administration of delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol (delta9-THC), delta8-tetrahydrocannabinol (delta8-THC), and cannabinol (CBN), but not cannabidiol (CBD). Animals treated for 10 consecutive days with delta9-THC, beginning the day after tumor implantation, demonstrated a dose-dependent action of retarded tumor growth. Mice treated for 20 consecutive days with delta8-THC and CBN had reduced primary tumor size. CBD showed no inhibitory effect on tumor growth at 14, 21, or 28 days. Delta9-THC, delta8-THC, and CBN increased the mean survival time (36% at 100 mg/kg, 25% at 200 mg/kg, and 27% at 50 mg/kg, respectively), whereas CBD did not. Delta9-THC administered orally daily until death in doses of 50, 100, or 200 mg/kg did not increase the life-spans of (C57BL/6 times DBA/2)F1 (BDF1) mice hosting the L1210 murine leukemia. However, delta9-THC administered daily for 10 days significantly inhibited Friend leukemia virus-induced splenomegaly by 71% at 200 mg/kg as compared to 90.2% for actinomycin D. Experiments with bone marrow and isolated Lewis lung cells incubated in vitro with delta9-THC and delta8-THC showed a dose-dependent (10(-4)-10(-7)) inhibition (80-20%, respectively) of tritiated thymidine and 14C-uridine uptake into these cells. CBD was active only in high concentrations (10(-4)).http://www.huffingtonpost.com/paul-armentano/if-pot-prevented-cancer-y_b_261157.html
http://www.norml.org
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