Compounds similar to THC, the active ingredient in cannabis plants, may aid in the prevention and treatment of colon cancer, according to a study conducted by UT researchers.
The researchers at the UT M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston found that mice treated with a cannabinoid derivative experienced a 50 percent reduction of cancerous tumors. The cannabinoid derivative also prevented the development of tumors in mice that are genetically predisposed to developing tumors.
"We can raise the mice in captivity and treat them right after they are born. It definitely prevents tumors," said Raymond DuBois, senior author of the study, published Aug. 1. "We were not expecting to see such a dramatic effect."
Although THC has been used for many years to treat the side effects of chemotherapy and other cancer treatments, DuBois said its preventative capabilities went unnoticed because a receptor absent in patients with advanced cancer caused the THC to have no preventative effect.
Cannabinoid derivatives that stimulate the receptor could eventually be taken orally as a pill to prevent or treat cancer, said DuBois, who is executive vice president and provost at the center.
The researchers studied cannabinoid derivatives, which are structurally similar to THC and also bind well to the receptor, hoping to discover which chemical structure is the most effective.
"We didn't study THC directly, because we think it would be unlikely that it would be approved as a drug due to its psychotropic effects," DuBois said.
The researchers found that the receptor was absent in the advanced stages of more than 95 percent of colorectal cancers, but if the receptor is restored by the binding with cannibinoids, it can kill off or even prevent the growth of cancer cells.
"When we restore the receptor … cancer cells are removed from the system and no longer pose the threat of developing into full-blown cancer," DuBois said.
A group of chemists at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center have synthesized 128 new derivatives of the cannabinoids and are trying to find those that are both effective and don't have the psychotropic effects of THC, such as changes in mood and thought process.
DuBois said the researchers will continue animal testing to see if there are any unexpected side effects before they move on to a phase-one trial for patients who have cancer or are at a very high risk for colon cancer.
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