Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Johannesburg, Auckland Park Kingsway, P.O. Box 524, Johannesburg 2006, South Africa.
Int J Mol Sci. 2024 May 23;25(11):5659. doi: 10.3390/ijms25115659.
Cannabinoids, the bioactive compounds found in , have been used for medicinal purposes for centuries, with early discoveries dating back to the BC era (BCE). However, the increased recreational use of cannabis has led to a negative perception of its medicinal and food applications, resulting in legal restrictions in many regions worldwide. Recently, cannabinoids, notably Δ-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD), have gained renewed interest in the medical field due to their anti-cancer properties. These properties include the inhibition of tumour growth and cell invasion, anti-inflammatory effects, and the induction of autophagy and apoptosis. As a result, the use of cannabinoids to treat chemotherapy-associated side effects, like nausea, vomiting, and pain, has increased, and there have been suggestions to implement the large-scale use of cannabinoids in cancer therapy. However, these compounds' cellular and molecular mechanisms of action still need to be fully understood. This review explores the recent evidence of CBD's efficacy as an anti-cancer agent, which is of interest due to its non-psychoactive properties. The current review will also provide an understanding of CBD's common cellular and molecular mechanisms in different cancers. Studies have shown that CBD's anti-cancer activity can be receptor-dependent (CB1, CB2, TRPV, and PPARs) or receptor-independent and can be induced through molecular mechanisms, such as ceramide biosynthesis, the induction of ER stress, and subsequent autophagy and apoptosis. It is projected that these molecular mechanisms will form the basis for the therapeutic applications of CBD. Therefore, it is essential to understand these mechanisms for developing and optimizing pre-clinical CBD-based therapies.
大麻素是在大麻中发现的生物活性化合物，几个世纪以来一直被用于医疗目的，最早的发现可以追溯到公元前时期（公元前）。然而，大麻的娱乐性使用增加导致人们对其药用和食品应用产生了负面看法，从而导致全球许多地区的法律限制。最近，大麻素，特别是Δ-四氢大麻酚（THC）和大麻二酚（CBD），由于其抗癌特性在医学领域重新引起了人们的兴趣。这些特性包括抑制肿瘤生长和细胞侵袭、抗炎作用以及诱导自噬和细胞凋亡。因此，大麻素在治疗化疗相关副作用（如恶心、呕吐和疼痛）方面的使用有所增加，并且有人建议在癌症治疗中大规模使用大麻素。然而，这些化合物的细胞和分子作用机制仍有待充分了解。本综述探讨了 CBD 作为抗癌剂的最新有效性证据，由于其非精神活性特性，这一点很有趣。目前的综述还将了解 CBD 在不同癌症中的常见细胞和分子机制。研究表明，CBD 的抗癌活性可以依赖于受体（CB1、CB2、TRPV 和 PPARs）或不依赖于受体，并且可以通过分子机制诱导，如神经酰胺生物合成、内质网应激的诱导以及随后的自噬和细胞凋亡。预计这些分子机制将成为 CBD 治疗应用的基础。因此，了解这些机制对于开发和优化基于 CBD 的临床前治疗方法至关重要。
