- PMID: 38499634
- DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-55307-y
Abstract
Human pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a highly malignant and lethal tumor of the exocrine pancreas. Cannabinoids extracted from the hemp plant Cannabis sativa have been suggested as a potential therapeutic agent in several human tumors. However, the anti-tumor effect of cannabinoids on human PDAC is not entirely clarified. In this study, the anti-proliferative and apoptotic effect of cannabinoid solution (THC:CBD at 1:6) at a dose of 1, 5, and 10 mg/kg body weight compared to the negative control (sesame oil) and positive control (5-fluorouracil) was investigated in human PDAC xenograft nude mice model. The findings showed that cannabinoids significantly decreased the mitotic cells and mitotic/apoptotic ratio, meanwhile dramatically increased the apoptotic cells. Parallelly, cannabinoids significantly downregulated Ki-67 and PCNA expression levels. Interestingly, cannabinoids upregulated BAX, BAX/BCL-2 ratio, and Caspase-3, meanwhile, downregulated BCL-2 expression level and could not change Caspase-8 expression level. These findings suggest that cannabinoid solution (THC:CBD at 1:6) could inhibit proliferation and induce apoptosis in human PDAC xenograft models. Cannabinoids, including THC:CBD, should be further studied for use as the potent PDCA therapeutic agent in humans.
Keywords: Anti-proliferation, Apoptosis, Cannabis, Nude mouse xenograft model, Pancreatic adenocarcinoma
© 2024. The Author(s).
References
-
- Kleeff, J. et al. Pancreatic cancer. Nat. Rev. Dis. Primers 2, 1–22 (2016). – DOI
-
- Siegel, R. L., Miller, K. D., Fuchs, H. E. & Jemal, A. Cancer statistics, 2021. Cancer J. Clin. 71, 7–33 (2021). – DOI
-
- Wolfgang, C. L. et al. Recent progress in pancreatic cancer. cancer J. Clin. 63, 318–348 (2013). – DOI
-
- Orth, M. et al. Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma: Biological hallmarks, current status, and future perspectives of combined modality treatment approaches. Radiat. Oncol. 14, 1–20 (2019). – DOI