Scientists Discover New Cannabinoid in Marijuana, Find Seven Compounds with Antitumor Effects
A team of researchers from South Korea has identified a new cannabinoid, cannabielsoxa, in the marijuana plant, along with several other compounds that have been reported for the first time from the flowers of C. sativa. The study, published in the journal Pharmaceuticals, also found that seven of the compounds showed strong inhibitory activity against neuroblastoma cells, a type of cancer that is the most common solid tumor in children.
The researchers used chromatographic techniques to isolate the compounds and examined their molecular structures. They also used a metabolic testing method to assess their toxicity to neuroblastoma cells. The study found that two of the compounds, 132-hydroxypheophorbide b ethyl ester and ligulariaphytin A, are new chlorin-type compounds that could be considered as potential compounds for antitumor effects against neuroblastomas.
The study’s findings suggest that the new cannabinoid, cannabielsoxa, and six known cannabinoids could be considered as potential compounds for antitumor effects against neuroblastomas. The researchers also found that the compounds had stronger inhibitory effects on neuroblastoma cells than chlorin-type compounds.
The study was conducted by a 14-person team representing government agencies and universities, including Wonkwang University, the Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, Kyung Hee University, Kookmin University, and the National Institute of Horticultural and Herbal Science.
In related news, a recent meta-analysis of medical cannabis and its effects on cancer-related symptoms found overwhelming scientific consensus on the therapeutic benefits of cannabis, particularly in the context of cancer. The study, published in the journal Frontiers in Oncology, analyzed data from 10,641 peer-reviewed studies and found that for every one study that showed cannabis was ineffective, there were three that showed it worked.
The study’s lead author, Ryan Castle, head of research at Whole Health Oncology Institute, said that the findings represent one of the clearest and most dramatic validations of medical cannabis in cancer care that the scientific community has ever seen. The study’s results also suggest that the level of consensus found in the meta-analysis rivals or exceeds that for many FDA-approved medications.
The growing popularity of cannabis products among people with cancer has tracked with the increasing number of states that have legalized cannabis for medical use. However, research has lagged on whether and which cannabis products are a safe or effective way to help with cancer-related symptoms which is now changing with all the new research now being done worldwide.
