Marijuana Modified In Lab Reduces Breast, Liver And Skin Cancer Cells But That's Not All, New Research Reveals

Over the last few years, there have been numerous studies confirming marijuana’s potential in the treatment of various types of cancer. One new research coming from the birthplace of Western civilization revealed that lab-modified marijuana could help with the reduction of cancer cells and alleviate side effects connected to chemotherapy.

Prokopios Magiatis, an associate professor at the university’s Laboratory of Pharmacognosy and Natural Products Chemistry presented these findings at the 9th Panhellenic Conference of Applied Sciences. He highlighted that the study concentrated on cannabinoid acids in the marijuana plant and showed that those acids, when modified in the lab into original chemical compounds, can significantly reduce breast, liver and skin cancer cells, writes Athens News.

“In the course of a pharmacological evaluation, experiments carried out in collaboration with the research group of Dr. Charalambias Boletis at the Hellenic Pasteur Institute, we found that these substances have an improved cytotoxic effect on various cancer cell lines (breast, melanoma, liver, etc.), and the most promising substance is cannabigerolic acid butyl ester (CBG) against breast cancer cells,” Magiatis said. “This particular cannabinoid has also been tested for toxicity and after experiments on mice it has been shown to be non-toxic and non-psychoactive even at very high doses. Specific substances are protected by an international patent with the participation of the University of Athens and Ekati Alchemy Lab, SL., and we are currently negotiating with major pharmaceutical companies to continue their use."

Other Studies On Cannabis And Cancer 

This is far from the only study on this plant’s potential in treating various types of cancer. A new study published last month in the Journal of Pharmaceutical Analysis revealed that cannabis inhibits colorectal cancer progression.

Last year, Cannabotech publicized a series of experiments conducted on a cell model demonstrating that a botanical drug based on an extract of the Cyathus striatus fungus and a cannabinoid extract from the cannabis plant eliminated 100% of pancreatic cancer cells. Two years ago, this Israeli biotech company that develops medical products based on marijuana and fungal extracts presented research showing a sixfold improvement in killing breast cancer cells when using specific Cannabotech’s medical cannabis products in combination with standard oncology treatments and drug protocols like chemotherapy, biological and hormonal, over the existing treatment.

Marijuana And Overall Quality Of Life

An Australian study published May 9, 2023 in JAMA Open Network revealed that medical marijuana improves the quality of life among patients with various ailments.

As many as 3,148 patients were asked to assess their wellness across eight categories – general health, physical functioning, physical role limitations, physical pain, mental health, emotional role limitations, vitality and social functioning - at various stages of treatment. The authors reported that “significant improvements were reported on all 8 domains.”

"This study suggests a favorable association between medical cannabis treatment and quality of life among patients with a diverse range of conditions," the study reads. "However, clinical evidence for cannabinoid efficacy remains limited, and further high-quality trials are required," the authors noted.

"CBD-dominant products were associated with [the] largest improvements on the role-physical domain, while THC-dominant products were associated with largest improvements on the physical functioning domain."

The study was led by Thomas R. Arkell of the Center for Human Psychopharmacology at Swinburne University of Technology in Hawthorn, Australia.

Photo: Benzinga edit with images by Akram Huseyn and Matthew Sichkaruk on Unsplash