Lesser-Known Marijuana Components Can Be ‘Promising Anticancer Agents,’ Study On Multiple Myeloma Finds

A new study on the possible therapeutic value of lesser-known compounds in cannabis says that a number of minor cannabinoids may have anticancer effects on blood cancer that warrant further study.

The research, published in the journal BioFactors, looked at minor cannabinoids and multiple myeloma (MM), testing responses in cell models to the cannabinoids CBG, CBC, CBN and CBDV as well as studying CBN in a mouse model.

“Together, our results suggest that CBG, CBC, CBN, and CBDV can be promising anticancer agents for MM,” authors wrote, “due to their cytotoxic effect on MM cell lines and, for CBN, in in vivo xenograft mouse model of MM.”

They also noted the cannabinoids’ apparently “beneficial effect on the bone in terms of reduction of MM cells invasion toward the bone and bone resorption (mainly CBG and CBN).”

“Phytocannabinoids inhibited [multiple myeloma] cell growth and induced necrotic cell death.”

The nine-author team behind the study included researchers from the University of Camerino in Italy and Vancouver, Canada-based cannabinoid company Entourage Biosciences.

“Despite many treatment options available, there is a need for new treatments for MM patients who became refractory to all options,” they wrote. “Cannabinoids or medical cannabis extracts are used in cancer patients who receive chemotherapy and radiotherapy for their palliative properties, like analgesic, antinauseant, antiemetic, and antidepressant properties, but they are also demonstrating direct anticancer effect in preclinical cancer models and in clinical trials.”

In terms of inhibiting growth of human MM cell lines, the team found that of the four minor cannabinoids they examined—all of which “are less studied compared to THC and CBD,” they noted—CBN and CBDV “were the most efficacious in reducing [cancer] cell viability, followed by CBG and in the end by CBC.”

The cannabinoids also induced cell death in the human MM cells, reduced the invasion of MM cells and reduced bone resorption.

“We found that CBG, CBC, CBN, and CBDV reduced the invasion of MM cells toward osteoblasts cells, but in particular CBG and CBN were the most effective,” the study says. “Moreover, CBG, CBC, CBN, and CBDV reduced the bone slices resorption by osteoclast, with CBG, CBDV and CBN being the most effective.”

As for the mouse model, CBN was associated with a “significant reduction in tumor weight” in mice three weeks after treatment compared to the control group, with no significant differences observed between the two groups with respect to body weight or weight of the liver, spleen or pancreas.

“Further study is needed to better understand how phytocannabinoids work,” the research says, “as well as to better investigate their effects” in human models.

While cannabis is widely used to treat certain symptoms of cancer and some side-effects of cancer treatment, there’s long been interest in the possible effects of cannabinoids on cancer itself. As the new study notes, most research on that front has looked at cannabinoids like THC and CBD.

And, as a 2019 literature review found, the majority of the studies have also been based on in vitro experiments, meaning they did not involve human subjects but rather isolated cancer cells from humans, while some of the research used mice. Consistent with the latest findings, that study found cannabis showed potential in slowing the growth of cancer cells and even killing cancer cells in certain cases.

A separate study found that some cases, different types of cancer cells affecting the same part of the body appeared to respond differently to various cannabis extracts.

A scientific review of CBD earlier this year also touched on “the diverse anticancer properties of cannabinoids” that the authors said present “promising opportunities for future therapeutic interventions in cancer treatment.”

Research published late last year found that marijuana use was associated with improved cognition and reduced pain among cancer patients and people receiving chemotherapy

While cannabis produces intoxicating effects, and that initial “high” can temporarily impair cognition, patients who used marijuana products from state-licensed dispensaries over two weeks actually started reporting clearer thinking, the study from the University of Colorado found.

Late last year, the National Institutes of Health awarded researchers $3.2 million to study the effects of using cannabis while receiving immunotherapy for cancer treatment, as well as whether access to marijuana helps reduce health disparities.

Federal courts are also considering two separate lawsuits on legal access to therapeutic psilocybin among cancer patients in end-of-life care.

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Photo courtesy of Chris Wallis // Side Pocket Images.