Pot Compounds Inhibit Oral Cancers, Study Says

Syracuse, NY: The administration of the plant cannabinoids delta-8-THC and delta-9-THC inhibit cellular respiration and tumor growth in human oral cancer cells, according to preclinical trial data published in the June issue of the journal Pharmacology.


Investigators at the State University of New York (SUNY), Upstate Medical University in Syracuse assessed the anticancer properties of delta-8-THC and delta-9-THC in the human oral cancer cell line Tu183, which is highly resistant to conventional anticancer drugs.


Researchers reported that the administration of THC resulted in a "rapid decline" in cellular respiration in malignant cells. By contrast, investigators found that the administration of the endogenous cannabinoid anandamide was "ineffective" as an anticancer agent.


"These results show the cannabinoids are potent inhibitors of Tu183 cellular respiration and are toxic to this highly malignant tumor," researchers concluded.


Last year, investigators from Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island reported that the moderate long-term use of marijuana in humans "was associated with a significantly reduced risk of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma."
A 2008 scientific review published in the journal Cancer Research previously reported that cannabinoids inhibit the proliferation of a wide range of cancers, including brain cancer, prostate cancer, breast cancer, lung cancer, skin cancer, pancreatic cancer, and lymphoma.


For more information, please contact Paul Armentano, NORML Deputy Director, at: paul@norml.org. Full text of the study, "Cannabinoids inhibit cellular respiration of human oral cancer cells," appears in the journal Pharmacology.