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Hypothesis: cannabinoid therapy for the treatment of gliomas?
Velasco G, Galve-Roperh I, Sanchez C, Blazquez C, Guzman M
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology I, School of Biology,
Complutense University, Avenida Complutense, sn, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
Gliomas, in particular glioblastoma multiforme or grade IV astrocytoma, are the
most frequent class of malignant primary brain tumours and one of the most
aggressive forms of cancer.
Current therapeutic strategies for the treatment of
glioblastoma multiforme are usually ineffective or just palliative.
During the
last few years, several studies have shown that cannabinoids-the active
components of the plant Cannabis sativa and their derivatives-slow the growth of
different types of tumours, including gliomas, in laboratory animals.
Cannabinoids induce apoptosis of glioma cells in culture via sustained ceramide
accumulation, extracellular signal-regulated kinase activation and Akt
inhibition.
In addition, cannabinoid treatment inhibits angiogenesis of gliomas
in vivo.
Remarkably, cannabinoids kill glioma cells selectively and can protect
non-transformed glial cells from death.
These and other findings reviewed here
might set the basis for a potential use of cannabinoids in the management of
gliomas.
PMID: 15275820 [PubMed - in process]
Source: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=15275820
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