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Cannabidiol, a nonpsychoactive cannabinoid extracted from the cannabis plant, appears to inhibit cell growth and even kill cervical cancer cells, according to a recent lab study published by researchers in the Department of Biochemistry at North-West University in South Africa.
In a laboratory analysis, researchers compared the anti-proliferative effects of crude cannabis sativa extracts with those of a specific compound, cannabidiol (CBD), extracted from the cannabis plant on cervical cancer cells.
Previous research has found CBD to induce cell death in breast cancer cells.
Cervical cancer is identified as the most lethal cancer amongst black women in Africa, and researchers wanted to learn if CBD might have similar anti-carcinogenic effects on cervical cancer cells as has been shown in breast cancer cells.
According to the report:
Half a million new cases of cervical cancer and a quarter of a million deaths are reported annually due to lack of effective treatment. Currently, the recommended therapeutic regimens include chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and surgery. However, they present several limitations including side effects or ineffectiveness. Therefore, it is important to search for new novel therapeutic agents that are naturally synthesized and cheaper, but still remain effective.
In the study, researchers exposed cervical cancer cell lines to different concentrations of cannabis sativa extracts and different concentrations of the specific compound cannabidiol to evaluate their effects on cancer cells.
Findings suggest that both cannabis sativa extract and CBD were able to halt the proliferation of cervical cancer cell growth in all cell lines at varying concentrations, but CBD appeared to be the specific cannabinoid found to induce cell death in cervical cancer cell lines.
The full study can be found here.
h/t Motherboard
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Gallery source links: National Cancer Institute, Alzheimers.net, American Glaucoma Society, Whaxy, the Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, TIME, NORML, MediCann, Business Insider, Huffington Post, American Cancer Society, Newsweek, Leaf Science, Medical Daily, Psychology Today.
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