Archive for the ‘marijuana’ Category

Marijuana and cancer therapy

The main chemical in the marijuana (cannabis sativa) appears to help the destruction of the cells related to the brain cancer, offering a hope for the future cancer therapies, according to Spanish investigators.

The authors belong to the Universidad Completeness in Madrid, in collaboration with scientists from other universities; found that the active component of marijuana, the tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), leads to the cancer cells to undergo a process called autofagia or the break that occurs when the cell is self-digested.

The investigation, which appears in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, the United States, shows that the THC and “cannabinoids” seem to be “a new family of the possible anti-tumor agents”.

The authors wrote that the chemical may prove useful in the future development of new “anti-tumor agents”.

The scientists conducted their investigations in laboratory animals, in the first place stimulated the growth of cancer in animals and then applied the injection of a daily dose of THC, near the place of were the tumors. Read the rest of this entry »