Cannabis -vs- Hodgkin's Lymphoma
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24204703: Cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1) is expressed in certain types of malignancies. An analysis of CB1 expression and function in Hodgkin lymphoma (HL), one of the most frequent lymphomas, was not performed to date. We examined the distribution of CB1 protein in primary cases of HL. Using lymphoma derived cell lines, the role of CB1 signaling on cell survival was investigated.
A predominant expression of CB1 was found in Hodgkin-Reed-Sternberg cells in a vast majority of classical HL cases. The HL cell lines L428, L540 and KM-H2 showed strong CB1-abundance and displayed a dose-dependent decline of viability under CB1 inhibition with AM251. Further, application of AM251 led to decrease of constitutively active NFκB/p65, a crucial survival factor of HRS-cells, and was followed by elevation of apoptotic markers in HL cells. The present study identifies CB1 as a feature of HL, which might serve as a potential selective target in the treatment of Hodgkin lymphoma.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4958360: In addition to CB1 expression, high levels of other cannabinoid-like molecules and signaling pathways interacting with ECS have been shown in several types of malignancy.66,126,127 The data are shown in Table 2. Members of the GPRs family, in particular, GPR55, GPR119, and GPR18, were found in hCMEC/D3 human brain endothelial cells and A2058 melanoma cells.127 These findings were further supported by the results of two other reports. There was found a predominant expression of CB1 in Hodgkin–Reed–Sternberg cells of classical Hodgkin’s lymphoma, whereas the surrounding, reactive nontumor lymphatic infiltrate was negative.126 In the same study, GPR55 was strongly expressed in Hodgkin’s lymphoma and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma cell lines. In melanoma cell line A375, not only CB1 and GPR55 but also TRPV1 and COX-2 receptors were highly expressed.66 TRPV1 correlates with the degree of malignancy, as shown in PCC epithelial tissues, where elevated levels of CB1 and TRPV1 were observed.
This review focused on current literature concerning ECS expression and the influence of its activation on cancer cell biology. As demonstrated earlier, CBs and other molecules closely related to ECS display a heterogeneous pattern of expression in human oncological pathologies, which probably impede its exploitation as prognostic markers in these diseases. Nevertheless, the fact that CB receptors are overexpressed in malignant cells compared to their non-transformed counterparts encouraged scientists to evaluate the influence of their ligands on several hallmarks of cancer. Indeed, synthetic and plant-derived cannabinoids, as well as endogenous compounds, exert a wide range of anticancer effects, including induction of autophagy and apoptosis, inhibition of proliferation, and reduction of metastasis outgrowth via antiangiogenic and antimigratory activities. They have also been found to stimulate immune response against cancer through enhanced recruitment of immune cells and, on the other hand, decreased migration of tumor-associated macrophages (particularly, protumorigenic M2 type) to the tumor microenvironment. Clearly, cannabinoids possess strong antiproliferative, proapoptotic, and antimetastatic properties, which have been confirmed in in vitro studies and in animal models. Despite a large amount of promising evidence for cannabinoid-induced antitumoral action, there is a lack of clinical research addressing this issue. Currently, cannabinoids are used clinically only in palliative therapy in cancer patients owing to antiemetic and analgesic properties of these compounds. The only clinical trial undertaken so far concerned patients with recurrent glioblastoma multiforme.148 In this study, intracranial delivery of Δ9-THC displayed a fair drug safety profile and did not induce overt psychoactive side effects.148 Therefore, future research should be directed toward possible application of these compounds in therapy, at least as adjunctive treatment. In particular, combination therapy utilizing cannabinoids and conventional treatments may be a beneficial option for patients who do not respond to common therapies.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24349109: Cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1) is expressed in certain types of malignancies. An analysis of CB1 expression and function in Hodgkin lymphoma (HL), one of the most frequent lymphomas, was not performed to date. We examined the distribution of CB1 protein in primary cases of HL. Using lymphoma derived cell lines, the role of CB1 signaling on cell survival was investigated.
A predominant expression of CB1 was found in Hodgkin-Reed-Sternberg cells in a vast majority of classical HL cases. The HL cell lines L428, L540 and KM-H2 showed strong CB1-abundance and displayed a dose-dependent decline of viability under CB1 inhibition with AM251. Further, application of AM251 led to decrease of constitutively active NFκB/p65, a crucial survival factor of HRS-cells, and was followed by elevation of apoptotic markers in HL cells. The present study identifies CB1 as a feature of HL, which might serve as a potential selective target in the treatment of Hodgkin lymphoma.