Breakthrough in Cannabis Research: New Cannabinoid and Compounds Show Promise in Fighting Cancer
A team of researchers from South Korea has made a significant discovery in the field of cannabis research, identifying a new cannabinoid and several other compounds that show potential in fighting cancer. The study, published in the journal Pharmaceuticals, found that seven compounds isolated from the flowers of the cannabis plant exhibited strong inhibitory activity against neuroblastoma cells.
The researchers used chromatographic techniques to isolate the compounds and then examined their molecular structures and 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 have not been previously identified in cannabis.
The study also found that the new cannabinoid, cannabielsoxa, was not toxic to neuroblastoma cells. The researchers suggest that this compound could be considered as a potential compound for antitumor effects against neuroblastomas.
In addition to the new cannabinoid, the study identified six known cannabinoid compounds that showed promise in fighting cancer, including cannabidiol (CBD), cannabidiolic acid (CBDA), cannabidiolic acid methyl ester (CBDA-ME), delta-8 THC, and cannabichromene (CBG). The study found that these compounds had stronger inhibitory effects on neuroblastoma cells than the chlorin-type compounds.
The discovery of these compounds could lead to the development of new treatments for neuroblastoma, a type of cancer that is the most common solid tumor in children and the most frequent malignancy in the first year of life.
The study was conducted by a team of 14 researchers from government agencies and universities in South Korea, 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.
Meanwhile, a separate study published in the journal Frontiers in Oncology found that medical cannabis has a strong and growing consensus within the scientific community regarding its therapeutic benefits, particularly in the context of cancer. The study 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 also found that medical marijuana patients in Minnesota reported significant improvements in cancer-related symptoms, but noted that the high cost of marijuana can be burdensome to less financially stable patients and raise questions about affordability.
