CANCER | +80 articles

[mr peabody]

The anti-cancer properties of P. harmala*

by Giorgio Samorini | KAHPI | 1 Mar 2019

Peganum harmala is a psychedelic plant that has a lot in common with the psychoactive vine, ayahuasca. They share a similar molecule profile, and both have been associated with many types of healing in different cultures. Peganum harmala is the most powerful plant source of MAO-inhibitors and DMT, respectively, in the world.

Beta-carboline alkaloids, especially the harmala alkaloids, have been studied as promising anti-cancer agents. Harmine is one of the most interesting. Its properties of inducing apoptosis ("suicide") in malignant cells have been ascertained in laboratory studies and as such give credibility to the highly acclaimed anti-cancer properties of both ayahuasca and harmel.

Harmel is a real melting pot of active ingredients, in particular beta-carboline and quinazoline alkaloids. In large quantities in the roots, and even higher concentrations in the seeds, the main beta-carboline alkaloids, cumulatively referred to as the harmala alkaloids, are harmine and harmaline. These same compounds are among the ingredients of ayahuasca, where they play the role of MAO-inhibitors allowing the absorption of the second group of alkaloids present in the drink, specifically the dimethyltryptamine (DMT).

Two interesting case reports on the treatment of cancer with Peganum harmala seed extracts have recently been described by an Israeli research team directed by Ephraim Lansky. The first case involved a young 29-year-old man suffering from a highly malignant brain tumor (oligoastrocytome). After numerous surgical excisions without success, the young man decided to switch to alternative therapies with medicinal herbs (including cannabis oil), a ketogenic diet, and harmel seeds. After four years of these therapies and two years of continuous administration of harmel seeds, the patient achieved complete remission from the tumor.

In the second case, an ovarian carcinoma in a 53-year-old woman was treated in a very original way, that is, by spreading the harmel seed oil on the skin at the height of the tumor and where the transdermal migration of the active ingredient harmine toward the cancer had been facilitated by infrared light. Once the cancer was reached, harmine induced apoptosis of the malignant cells.​

*From the article here: https://kahpi.net/peganum-harmala-ayahuasca/

 

[mr peabody]

CBD + chemotherapy triples cancer survival rates in mice

by David DiSalvo | Forbes | 31 Jul 2018

Mice with pancreatic cancer treated with a combination of CBD and chemotherapy survived nearly three times longer than those treated with chemotherapy alone, according to a new study that spotlights the potential for human treatment.

CBD has already been shown to improve side effects of chemotherapy like nausea and vomiting. The latest results provide more justification for testing in humans, building on prior animal research that uncovered possible anti-cancer properties of the compound.

"CBD is already approved for use in clinics in the UK, which means we can quickly go on to test this in human clinical trials,” said lead researcher Marco Falasca from Queen Mary University of London.

While human trials involving CBD as a cancer treatment may move faster in the UK, similar efforts could face obstacles in the U.S., where CBD derived from marijuana is still considered an illegal (Schedule 1) substance under federal law. Progress is being made, however, with the US FDA approving the first drug comprised of CBD to treat severe forms of epilepsy in June of this year.

Pancreatic cancer is among the deadliest forms of cancer in the world in terms of overall survival rates. According to the American Cancer Society, for all stages of pancreatic cancer combined, the one-year relative survival rate is 20%, and the five-year rate is just under 7%. It’s the 12th most common cancer globally, with the highest incidence occuring in developed countries.

"The life expectancy for pancreatic cancer patients has barely changed in the last 40 years because there are very few, and mostly only palliative care, treatments available,” Dr. Falasca added in a press statement. “Given the five-year survival rate for people with pancreatic cancer is less than seven percent, the discovery of new treatments and therapeutic strategies is urgently needed."

While this study hasn't yet been replicated in humans, the results underscore the importance of continued research involving marijuana compounds. As we’ve seen since the legalization movement started its push forward, studies have linked the compounds to multiple promising results, from easing migraine symptoms to improving stroke recovery to decreasing seizure severity, among others.

The more we learn about the potential of these compounds, the more it seems clear that decades of research being blocked by federal law deprived us of medical advances that are only now starting to surface.​

 

[mr peabody]

Peganum harmala and cancer*

Lamchouri, Zemzami, Jossang, Settaf, Israili, Lyoussi

P. harmala is a dense, bright green blooming succulent that grows from a perennial woody root in semi-arid environments. It is a psychedelic with origins dating back to Central Asia, where it frequently grows among the ruins of ancient cities in the Middle East. B-carbolines, harmaline and harmine, are the major alkaloids present in P. harmala. These alkaloids are known as herbal active principals with potential use in pharmaceutical and medicine.

P. harmala has been used in traditional medicine to treat various diseases including cancer. Our preliminary studies show that the alkaloidal extract of PH seed is cytotoxic to several tumor cell lines in vitro and has antitumor effect in a tumor model in vivo. The present investigation was aimed at extending our previous studies in identifying the components in P. harmala seed-extract responsible for the cytotoxic effects, and study the cytotoxic and antiproliferative activity of isolated alkaloids and total alkaloidal fraction (TAF) in several tumor cell lines.

The present study of the cytotoxic and antiproliferative effects in experimental models of cancer show that the TAF and three of the four alkaloids (harmine, harmalacidine and vasicinone) isolated from the seed extract of P. harmala have significant in vitro cytotoxic activity in tumor cell lines, and antiproliferative activity on Jurkat line, E6-1 clone. The results of the present investigation and previous studies suggest that P. harmala seed alkaloids have significant antitumor activity, and the B-carboline structure could be an important basis for the design and synthesis of new antitumor drugs.​

*From the study here: https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/d10c/fcde0104d3ee49488356addab38788a83959.pdf

 

[mr peabody]

DMT found to prevent recurrence of malignant lung and prostate cancers

by Ede Frecska | Graham Hancock | 27 Oct 2015

Traditional medicinal use of DMT strongly suggests its medical potential. This suggestion is advanced by the discovery that DMT is an endogenous ligand of the sigma-1 receptor. This receptor can influence the energy utilization of cells, and its activation has therapeutic value in many pathological conditions such as ALS, Parkinson’s and cancer.

DMT may play a vital role in immunoregulation. For instance, DMT may help to coordinate the immune responses that fight cancer. This is based on the fact that the molecule's synthesis requires an enzyme called indolethylamine-N-methyltransferase (IMNT), which is produced by the IMNT gene, the expression of which has been found to prevent the recurrence of malignant lung and prostate cancers.

DMT: for Extending Life When You Need It the Most - Graham Hancock Official Website

Ede Frecska is Principal Investigator of a group of clinical researchers in Hungary. The group’s main tenet is that the naturally occurring Dimethyltryptamine (DMT) molecule has vital therapeutic and clinical qualities, and is pivotal to the progression of brain science. Their hypothesis is...

grahamhancock.com

 

[mr peabody]

Treating breast cancer with P. harmala

The 'cancer patient in my life' who has Stage IV metastatic breast cancer has responded very well to a Syrian Rue tincture I prepared.

Her formerly aggressive, treatment-resistant tumors subsequently had become 'stable' despite the fact that her primary medication was no longer working. The patient and is firmly convinced that Syrian Rue has played a large part in that. For mood-enhancement alone, which is obviously very important in these situations too, rue is excellent IMO.

I made a tincture using 120g whole seeds, pressure-cooked in 800ml water for 2 hours. Filtered. The same seeds were then soaked in 200ml 95% ethanol for 48 hours, and this combined with the water-extract, to make about 1 litre. I think grinding seeds brings only problems, and mucilage...

Dosage: 5 ml/day first week. Then 10 ml following week. Then 15 ml until spent. This minimised adverse effects of harmalas in somebody with no prior experience.

I found that my patient observed positive changes soon after starting, because the metastatic tumors are in the spine (and affected mobility) and they reported increased mobility, after a lengthy period of decline and increasing pain, in that area.​

https://www.dmt-nexus.me/forum/defau...=posts&t=75362

 

[mr peabody]

Dr. Attila Szabo

Therapeutic potential of 5-MeO for cancer "very promising"

Research on the therapeutic potential of 5-MeO for cancer is still in the early stages, but the few studies that have been done are very promising. It has been shown to exert powerful anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory effects through the modulation of innate and adaptive immune processes. Its regulatory effect on the sigma-1 receptor, which plays a significant role in cancer, is especially interesting.

Classical psychedelics are psychoactive substances, which, besides their psychopharmacological activity, have also been shown to exert significant modulatory effects on immune responses by altering signaling pathways involved in inflammation, cellular proliferation, and cell survival via activating NF-kB and mitogen-activated protein kinases. Recently, several neurotransmitter receptors involved in the pharmacology of psychedelics, such as serotonin and sigma-1 receptors, have also been shown to play crucial roles in numerous immunological processes.

This emerging field also offers promising treatment modalities in the therapy of various diseases including autoimmune and chronic inflammatory conditions, infections, and cancer. However, the scarcity of available review literature renders the topic unclear and obscure, mostly posing psychedelics as drugs of abuse and not as physiologically relevant molecules or as possible agents of future pharmacotherapies.

In this paper, the immunomodulatory potential of classical serotonergic psychedelics, including N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT), 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine (5-MeO-DMT), lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), 2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodoamphetamine, and 3,4-methylenedioxy-methamphetamine will be discussed from a perspective of molecular immunology and pharmacology.

Special attention is given to the functional interaction of serotonin and sigma-1 receptors and their cross-talk with toll-like and RIG-I-like pattern-recognition receptor-mediated signaling. Furthermore, novel approaches will be suggested feasible for the treatment of diseases with chronic inflammatory etiology and pathology, such as atherosclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, schizophrenia, depression, and Alzheimer’s disease.

Since both NF-kB and type I IFN signaling contribute to the transcriptional regulation of genes that are involved in cellular proliferation and survival, and many psychedelics exhibit in vitro anti-cancer potential through 5-HTRs, these compounds could be promising candidates in novel therapies of cancer.

Thus, as a target for future pharmacological investigations, DMT emerges as a potent and promising candidate in novel therapies of peripheral and CNS autoimmune diseases (such as Multiple Sclerosis or Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) and cancer.

Here we demonstrate for the first time the immunomodulatory potential of NN-DMT and 5-MeO-DMT on human moDC functions via sigmar-1 that could be harnessed for the pharmacological treatment of autoimmune diseases and chronic inflammatory conditions of the CNS or peripheral tissues. Our findings also point out a new biological role for dimethyltryptamines, which may act as systemic endogenous regulators of inflammation and immune homeostasis through the sigma-1 receptor.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4500993/​

 

[mr peabody]

Even healthy tissues carry clusters of cells with mutations.

Study shows mutations are found even in healthy tissues throughout the body*

by Brittany Flaherty | June 6, 2019

"Just because you see a cancer-associated mutation, doesn't necessarily mean the patient has cancer..."

For years, the prevailing wisdom has been that our cells contain genes that are essentially carbon copies of each other. That notion is being dashed by studies painting a different picture — one in which even “normal” cells and tissues accumulate mutations over time.

New research out of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard has identified mutations in normal tissues throughout the body, including some known to drive cancer.

A large-scale analysis published Thursday in Science examined more than 6,700 samples of normal human tissue from 29 major tissue groups — from brain and bladder to breast and prostate tissue. The researchers used RNA sequencing data to look in these tissues for large mutational clones — groups of cells that have the same mutations. They found many more clones than they had expected, including some that contained mutations that drive cancer.

“This study opens up the big question of what is normal?” said Cristian Tomasetti, an associate professor of oncology at Johns Hopkins University who was not involved with the study. “This is now a picture of our normal tissues being quite messy and full of these mutational clones. We are really just at the beginning of knowing how to evaluate them.”

The team assessed normal tissue samples from nearly 500 different people and observed mutations in 95% of them.

“We didn’t know if we would find anything,” said senior author Gad Getz, professor of pathology at Harvard Medical School and director of the Cancer Genome Computational Analysis Group at the Broad Institute. “But we found macroscopic clones in essentially every tissue that we looked at in the body.”

Scott Kennedy and Rosana Risques, assistant professors of pathology at the University of Washington who weren’t involved with the research, said these findings are consistent with work from their lab and others that have uncovered cancer-associated mutations in normal skin and blood. But, they said, this new study is an important step toward understanding mutations found throughout the body. “Until we had the technology, we didn’t know all of these mutations existed in normal tissue,” said Risques. “Now that we have the methods, we really need to explore this.”

Getz and his colleagues leveraged an enormous RNA sequencing dataset gathered for a separate Broad Institute effort and developed a novel method to analyze the RNA data.

Keren Yizhak, the paper’s first author, conducted the study as a postdoctoral researcher at the Broad Institute."These findings could change the way we think about what constitutes normal tissue. Normal tissue is constantly developing and changing,” she said. “We are all like a puzzle made up of different cells.”

Scientists use the term “mosaicism” to describe this kind of cellular makeup, wherein an individual can have cells with different genetic material.

Some of the tissue types investigated in this study had more mutations than others. The researchers found that tissues of the lung, esophagus, and sun-exposed skin had the highest number of mutations. "This was somewhat expected, since these tissues are often subject to environmental factors like cigarette smoke, hot and cold beverages, and ultraviolet radiation that could incite mutations," said Getz. They also found an association between mutation number and age: tissue samples from older individuals had more mutations. Getz said future studies could reveal more about factors linked to a high number of mutations in normal tissue.

Genomic technologies now allow researchers to sequence the genetic makeup of tumors and identify the mutations found in tumor tissue. But Yizhak pointed out that analyzing a fully formed tumor provides little information about which mutations initially led to its formation. Understanding more about the mutations found in normal tissue and whether they develop into cancer could help researchers better understand how these diseases originate and progress.

Longitudinal studies that follow individuals for years could clarify how normal tissues change over time, as well as which mutations ultimately lead to cancer versus those that stop growing.

“We could detect mutations and then observe how they change in frequency during the course of the person’s lifetime and see whether they do develop into cancer,” said Selina Vattathil, a postdoctoral researcher at Princeton University who was not involved in the study. “But of course that’s really hard to do.” The technology for this type of work is available, Vattathil explained, but it is challenging to conduct studies of this kind and collect multiple samples from healthy individuals.

The emerging knowledge that normal tissues have more mutations than previously thought could throw a wrench into one ongoing area of research: the development of methods for the early detection of cancer.

Early detection is important and can improve treatment outcomes, but many tumors and blood cancers are elusive until after they have advanced to a more difficult-to-treat stage. To address this, scientists are developing techniques to identify disease-driving mutations sooner. The new findings about mosaicism present a challenge — figuring out which mutations are truly red flags that signal disease and which are harmless and normal.

Some early detection techniques, for example, involve collecting blood samples and sequencing cell-free DNA — genetic material that cells have shed into the bloodstream. Until recently, the detection of cancer-associated mutations suggested they were likely shed by cancerous or pre-cancerous cells. But the work by Getz’s team and others indicates that some of these mutations —even those known to drive cancer — may be shed by non-cancerous, normal cells.

“It really calls into question the specificity of seeing these mutations,” said Kennedy. “Just because you see a cancer-associated mutation, it doesn’t necessarily mean the patient has cancer. That’s something that diagnosticians and clinicians definitely have to take into account.”

Yizhak and Getz agree that scientists developing these techniques simply need to acknowledge the possibility that mutations they uncover may come from normal tissues.

“When we develop these tools of early detection, we want to make sure that we don’t have false positives in healthy people,” said Getz. “We just need to be careful.”

-----

*For years I've been saying 'everyone has cancer,' meaning we all "have" it, and the POTENTIAL for illness, when conditions which normally enable us to ward off the disease process fall below a certain threshold. Here now is the first documentary evidence that I was right. Cancer is quite simply the body spiraling out of control when it can no longer keep these mutations in check. -pb​

 

[mr peabody]

Ayahuasca, neurodegenerative disorders, and cancer

by Daniel Gustafsson

Natural substances extracted from the ayahuasca plants have been found to possess unique restorative and strongly antioxidative properties on specific nerve cells in the brain and central nervous system – controlling neurotransmission, muscle/motor activity, memory and coordination. This gives probable cause to the theory that ayahuasca could be an effective treatment for neurodegenerative diseases such as ALS, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s disease. Promising results as of date has also been obtained from studying the substance psilocybin, very closely related to the substances found in ayahuasca, naturally occurring in certain species of medicinal mushrooms consumed by the indigenous people where ayahuasca is also used.

According to Dr. Juan Ramos, head of the neurological disease department at the South Florida university, USA, initial studies show that these substances stimulate the development of new cells in the areas of the brain controlling the above mentioned functions. If this could prove to be an eventual cure through complete restoration of damaged or destroyed cells remains to be seen, but initial results indicate this could potentially be the case. There is also a growing interest in exploring the cell regenerative properties of these plants within the spinal chord injury support communities. Should people with this background eventually try and find the results of this treatment useful, medical science would be bound to take note. Cancer researchers have also shown interest in B. Caapi, as its different alkaloids has shown to be effective against the growth of cancer cells.

Ayahuasca could effectively be used in treatment of ALS and other motor neuron diseases based on the fact that studies suggest uniquely antioxidative effects that seem to protect brain/nerve cells, targeting motor neurons through a unique biochemical transport system, and that it and other molecularly similar substances, also naturally occurring, stimulate neurogenesis – the development of new brain/nerve cells, and the communicative capacity between these. In studies it has been found to reduce symptoms in Parkinson’s patients – all neurodegenerative diseases share common ground, thus making it likely that something that improves a given neurological condition could also be beneficial to other conditions nearly related. Also based on credible personal accounts from people having used ayahuasca for symptom relief from their multiple sclerosis (once again – the common ground of neurodegenerative diseases), documented in books about ayahuasca, and from descriptions of early stage minor improvement by those with various types of ALS now participating in the treatment project, already having used this medicine for a period of time. Studies also indicate ability to normalize metabolism in mitochondria, crucial to motor neuron survival, and to regulate and decrease levels of excitotoxicity in the central nervous system.​

https://www.wakingtimes.com/2014/12/29/ayahuasca-natural-medicine-brain-disease-cancer-wellness/

 

[mr peabody]

How cannabis kills certain types of cancer cells*

by Kyle Jaeger | Jul 19 2019

Cannabis extracts can impair the survival of certain types of cancer cells and inhibit their spread. But the effects of those extracts vary significantly based on their specific chemical makeup.

Researchers found that treating cancer cells with isolated ingredients in cannabis, such as THC alone, does not appear to be especially effective—but full cannabis extracts showed more promise. However, with the plant containing hundreds of compounds that appear in different concentrations across strains and preparations, researchers had their work cut out for them in investigating how various cannabinoid combinations treated different types of cancer cells.

The team tested the antitumor effects of 12 whole cannabis extracts on 12 human cancer cell lines in order to “determine whether whole cannabis preparations with specific phytocannabinoid profiles could be advantageous as therapy for certain cancer sub-types.” The findings were published in the journal Oncotarget.

Each cell sample was treated with a cannabis extract in increasing doses (2-10 µg/ml) over the course of 24 hours. There were five preparations of cannabis that proved especially potent for a wide range of cancer types but, in general, the study shows there’s significant variability in effectiveness for different cancer types—even when the cancers originated in the same organ.

For example, two distinct forms of prostate cancer cells were found to be most sensitive to entirely different cannabis extracts.

The cannabis preparations also ranged widely in their effectiveness in preventing the proliferation of cancer cells. When applied to multiplying cells, there were three extracts that reduced the growths to 37-51 percent of their original size, compared to 68 percent for the control group. But there were other extracts that failed to reduce the spread in a statistically significant manner.

Some commonalities shared among the most potent cannabis extracts include a high concentration of THC and large amounts of phytocannabinoids in their decarboxylated form.

“Taken as a whole, we concluded that medical cannabis does not consist of a single therapeutic agent but rather a heterogeneous array of treatments,” the researchers wrote. “We propose that the fate of specific cancer cells following cannabis extract application is dependent upon the synergistic effects of its phytocannabinoid composition, concentration applied, along with the cell specific characteristics.”

The study concluded that “cannabis extracts were very potent in producing cell death and some of these extracts were of THC-rich type” and that, as previous studies have indicated, “using whole cannabis extracts is more effective in inducing cancer cell death than applying pure THC on the studied cells lines.”

“Furthermore, not all THC-rich extracts produce the same effects when applied at the same concentrations on a specific cancer cell line,” the study authors wrote. “These findings indicate that compounds other than THC in these extracts might act together in a polypharmacology way and determine the extract efficacy as antitumor agents.”

Interestingly, the researchers also theorized that the the “presence or absence of cannabinoid receptors in the tested cell lines may explain the differential potency of the extracts towards reducing cell survival.”

The team has called for further research into the “specific properties and mechanisms of cancer cell insensitivity to cannabis extract effects.”

“We hope that this study will lay the groundwork for future preclinical studies and randomized controlled clinical trials in order to provide evidence for effective cannabis treatments for many cancer subtypes,” they concluded.​

*From the article here :

https://www.cannabismoment.net/study-explores-how-different-cannabis-extracts-kill-types-of-cancer-cells/

 

[mr peabody]

Subjects who recovered from cancer were noted to have integrated a plant-based diet.

First study to show that DMT protects the body's immune system from cancer

New study led by Ede Frecska and Jordi Riba is the first to bring some clarity to the mystique surrounding this hotly-debated subject.

The team took 3 types of human cells – neurons derived from pluripotent stem cells (a cell that can develop into any other cell type), monocyte-derived macrophages and dendritic cells (these two are both key players in the body’s immune system, working to engulf and annihilate undesirable particles, such as harmful bacteria or cancer cells). The team then restricted the cells’ supply of oxygen (hypoxia). A few hours of severe hypoxia reliably kills the majority of neurons, and a significant proportion of the immune cells.

The scientists then tested whether DMT could protect the cells from this fate. And indeed, they found that DMT-treated cell cultures had a much higher survival rate! Moreover, the amount of DMT needed to protect the cells was relatively low.

Hypoxia usually causes dramatic alterations to unprotected cells. One of the most reliable markers of being oxygen-deprived –the hypoxic condition- is the presence of the so-called hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1, which can be clearly visualised, but disappears when there is sufficient amount of oxygen. In the presence of DMT, there was significantly less HIF-1 detected in the cells, as well as the other oxygen-sensitive proteins. Therefore, DMT could be seen to actively reduce cellular stress in hypoxic environments.

So, the DMT-treated cells underwent – on a, literally, microcosmic level – a “near-death” experience, as opposed to a deadly one. The question is: How does DMT protect these cells?

Szabo et al. decided to investigate how important the action of the Sigma-1 receptors (Sig-1R) is in bringing about the protective effects of DMT. Located inside the immune and brain cells (and cells from other organs such as liver, kidney), these receptors have important functions in the synthesis of energy molecules, as well as facilitating stress signalling. On a molecular level, “stress,” does not correspond to the difficulties and hurdles of everyday life, but to all the nasty things that threaten a cell’s well-being, such as changes in oxygen level (used in this study), temperature, toxins and mechanical damage. DMT has been previously shown to bind to Sigma-1 receptors, and more DMT is detected in the central nervous system under stress.

Suspecting that the effects of DMT hinge on the action of these receptors, the team selectively silenced (i.e. switched off) the genes responsible for SIG-1R development. The results were drastic and immediately apparent: switching of the Sigma-1 receptors led to complete annihilation of the DMT-related effects on cell survival and HIF-1 markers! Therefore, the researchers concluded that Sig-1R receptors are absolutely instrumental in enabling the protective, anti-stress effects of DMT.

By finding out that these effects are mediated through the Sig-1 receptors, Szabo et al. have brought us one step closer to finding out mechanisms behind DMT’s neuroprotective effects. We can look more confidently to a future where the workings of DMT are better understood. Currently plausible hypotheses include the idea that DMT is fine tuning the regulation of oxygen metabolism, or relating to other molecules involved in cell survival.

Conclusion: “Our results suggest a novel and important role of DMT in human cellular physiology and point out to the relevance of DMT-mediated Sig-1R modulation in future therapies concerning hypoxia/ischemia-related pathologies.” If these results are applicable to other stressors and replicated in humans, the implications are huge. DMT could be administered to save neurones that would otherwise die from exposure to harmful events, such as to protect patients’ brains against damage caused by oxygen starvation – e.g. during heart attack or stroke. And the damage wrought by tragic neurodegenerative diseases, like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s – for which there are currently no cures – could potentially be redressed. On a biological level, DMT could be a life-saving agent, administered in order to give cells, and the bodies they belong to, a second chance at life.

http://beckleyfoundation.org/2016/09...-under-stress/​

 

[mr peabody]

Study reveals how cannabis inhibits tumor growth*

by Kyle Jaeger | August 9, 2019

A recent scientific review shows that cannabis’s components can inhibit tumor growth and help with cancer management.

Researchers at Amity University in India detailed the scientific literature surrounding the effects of cannabinoids on different cancer types.

"Besides treating chemotherapy side effects, cannabis also shows potential in slowing the growth of cancer cells and even kill cancer cells in certain cases," the researchers wrote.

“THC and CBD exhibit effective analgesic, anxiolytic, and appetite-stimulating effect on patients suffering from cancer.”

But that’s not all. “Apart from exerting palliative effects, THC also shows promise in the treatment of cancer growth, and hence should be exploited accordingly,” an abstract of the study, published in the Journal of Cancer Research and Therapeutics, states.

The majority of the studies reviewed were based on in vitro experiments, meaning they did not involve human subjects but rather isolated cancer cells from humans, while some of the research used mice.

Cannabinoids appear to “exert potent anti-growth activity and activate various apoptotic mechanisms eventually leading to cell death” of cancer cells associated with glioma, an aggressive form of brain cancer.

At least once clinical trial showed that patients with recurrent glioblastoma multiforme who were treated with a “proprietary combination of THC and CBD” in addition to a traditional pharmaceutical had a higher one-year survival rate (83 percent) compared to a placebo group (53 percent).

Another study found blood cancer cells that were treated with two synthetic endocannabinoids activated receptors that “mediated apoptosis,” or the death of the cells.

In certain cell lines of prostate cancer, similar findings were observed. There was “significant cell growth inhibition followed by apoptosis in one particular cancer cell type in a study which was designed to evaluate the in vitro effects of endocannabinioids such as 2-arachidonoyl glycerol, anadamine, and its synthetic analog methazolamide.”

Less research has been conducted on the effects of cannabis on lung, breast, oral and liver cancers, but the study authors documented instances where mice with certain lung cancer types treated with THC experienced a “notable reduction of the subcutaneous tumor growth and lung metastasis of those cells, prompting its significance as a novel therapeutic molecule in lung cancer treatment.”

But while THC is a common study focus, other cannabinoids show particular potential in treating different cancer types, they found. For example, a synthetic CBD compound (940-CBD) was the most effective “in terms of antiproliferative effects and invasiveness” of a particular breast cancer cell line.

"When treated with THC, an oral cancer cell line that’s 'highly resistant to anticancer drugs,' showed increased 'cellular respiration inhibition,' whereas another conventional treatment option 'showed no such effect.' ”

While researchers have investigated a wide range of cancer treatments, “the utilization of THC and their derivatives is still unexplored pharmacologically owing to their ‘habit-forming’ nature,” the researchers concluded. “Specific targeting of cannabinoid receptors can be used to manage severe side effects during chemotherapy, palliative care and overall cancer management.”

“Furthermore, research evidences on cannabinoids have suggested tumor inhibiting and suppressing properties which warrant reconsidering legality of the substance,” they said. “Studies on cannabinoid receptors, in case of cancers, have demonstrated the psychoactive constituents of cannabinoids to be potent against tumor growth.”

"Because the activation of CB1 and CBD2 cannabinoid receptors tends to limit human cancer cell growth, there may be a role of the endocannabinoid system as a novel target for treatment of cancers, and further explorations are required to exploit cannabinoids for an effective cancer management.”

The findings reflect another recent study that also explored the therapeutic potential of cannabis extracts in the treatment of different cancers. Like this new review, it demonstrated that while variation in cannabinoids that are used to treat distinct cancer cell lines is an important consideration, the growing data on marijuana’s ability to inhibit cell growth and kill cancer cells indicates that it should be a major area of research going forward.

*From the article here :

Study Reviews How Marijuana Compounds Inhibit Tumor Growth And Kill Cancer Cells - Marijuana Moment

A recent scientific review concludes that marijuana’s legal status should be revisited given existing research that shows cannabis’s components can inhibit tumor growth and help with cancer management. Researchers at Amity University in India detailed the scientific literature surrounding the...

www.marijuanamoment.net

 

[mr peabody]

Kambo and cancer

Kambo, the poison of the giant leaf frog 'Phyllomedusa bicolor,' is excreted through its skin. The secretion, long used by indigenous tribes in traditional rituals, is administered by applying it onto freshly inflicted burn wounds. Kambo is said to generate an altered state of reality, clear inner sight and a resurgence of long forgotten memories.

Years of research conducted at the University of Paris have shown Kambo to be very effective at killing certain types of cancer cells. Research at Queens University in Belfast recently won a prestigious award for their ground breaking work with cancer and Kambo.

Within Kambo exist the peptides Dermaseptin B2 and B3, which have the ability to cease and inhibit tumorous growths. Dermaseptin B2 has been shown to inhibit cancer cell (human prostatic adenocarcinoma) growth by more than 90%. This peptide penetrates cells and works by necrosis (active destruction), not apoptosis (normal or programmed cell death).

Kambo is one of the strongest, anti-inflammatory, antibiotic, antimicrobial and anesthetic substances on the planet. It is being studied for its effects on various types of cancer and for use in antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria.​

http://www.kamboalchemy.com/medical-research-on-kambo/

 

[mr peabody]

Ayahuasca – a natural medicine for brain disease and cancer

by Daniel Gustafsson

Natural substances extracted from the ayahuasca plants have been found to possess unique restorative and strongly antioxidative properties on specific nerve cells in the brain and central nervous system – controlling neurotransmission, muscle/motor activity, memory and coordination. This gives probable cause to the theory that ayahuasca could be an effective treatment for neurodegenerative diseases such as ALS, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s disease. Promising results as of date has also been obtained from studying the substance psilocybin, very closely related to the substances found in ayahuasca, naturally occuring in certain species of medicinal mushrooms consumed by the indigenous people where ayahuasca is also used.

According to Dr. Juan Ramos, head of the neurological disease department at the South Florida university, USA, initial studies show that these substances stimulate the development of new cells in the areas of the brain controlling the above mentioned functions. If this could prove to be an eventual cure through complete restoration of damaged or destroyed cells remains to be seen, but initial results indicate this could potentially be the case. There is also a growing interest in exploring the cell regenerative properties of these plants within the spinal chord injury support communities. Should people with this background eventually try and find the results of this treatment useful, medical science would be bound to take note. Cancer researchers have also shown interest in B. Caapi, as its different alkaloids has shown to be effective against the growth of cancer cells.

Summary

Ayahuasca could effectively be used in treatment of ALS and other motor neuron diseases based on the fact that studies suggest uniquely antioxidative effects that seem to protect brain/nerve cells, targeting motor neurons through a unique biochemical transport system, and that it and other molecularly similar substances, also naturally occurring, stimulate neurogenesis – the development of new brain/nerve cells, and the communicative capacity between these. In studies it has been found to reduce symptoms in Parkinson’s patients – all neurodegenerative diseases share common ground, thus making it likely that something that improves a given neurological condition could also be beneficial to other conditions nearly related. Also based on credible personal accounts from people having used ayahuasca for symptom relief from their multiple sclerosis (once again – the common ground of neurodegenerative diseases), documented in books about ayahuasca, and from descriptions of early stage minor improvement by those with various types of ALS now participating in the treatment project, already having used this medicine for a period of time. Studies also indicate ability to normalize metabolism in mitochondria, crucial to motor neuron survival, and to regulate and decrease levels of excitotoxicity in the central nervous system.​

https://www.wakingtimes.com/2014/12/29/ayahuasca-natural-medicine-brain-disease-cancer-wellness/

 

[mr peabody]

Harmine found to suppress the proliferation of ovarian cancer cells

Jun Gao, Hong Zhu, Hong Wan, Xia Zou, Xiaoxin Ma, Guolan Gao

Harmine occurs in the psychedelic plants P. harmala and B. caapi (Ayuhuasca). P. harmala and B. caapi are both traditionally used for their psychoactive effects. Isolated from the plant Peganum harmala, harmine has already been shown to strongly inhibit the growth of cancer cells originating from breast, lung, bone and pancreas.

Ovarian cancer is the most lethal gynaecological cancer among Western women. In recent studies Harmine displayed obvious anticancer effects in several cancer cell types. In the present study, the effect of harmine on the cell proliferation and migration of ovarian cancer SKOV-3 cells and the underlying mechanism were investigated. Results indicate that Harmine significantly suppressed the proliferation of SKOV-3 cells in a dose-dependent manner. Interestingly, it also inhibited the epidermal growth factor (EGF)-induced proliferation of SKOV-3 cells. Moreover, the migration of SKOV-3 cells was markedly inhibited by Harmine treatment. Finally, Harmine significantly suppressed the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) family MMP-2, and MMP-9. In conclusion, our data revealed that Harmine inhibited the proliferation and migration of SKOV-3 cells, which might be mediated by ERK/CREB pathway. These findings elucidate that Harmine may act as a potential therapeutic drug for ovarian cancer treatment.​

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28901502

 

[mr peabody]

CBD + chemotherapy triples cancer survival in mice

by David DiSalvo | Forbes

Mice with pancreatic cancer treated with a combination of cannabidiol (CBD) and chemotherapy survived nearly three times longer than those treated with chemotherapy alone, according to a new study that spotlights the potential for human treatment.

CBD, the non-psychoactive (non-intoxicating) compound in marijuana, has already been shown to improve side effects of chemotherapy like nausea and vomiting. The latest results provide more justification for testing in humans, building on prior animal research that uncovered possible anti-cancer properties of the compound.

"Cannabidiol is already approved for use in clinics in the UK, which means we can quickly go on to test this in human clinical trials," said lead researcher Marco Falasca from Queen Mary University of London.

While human trials involving CBD as a cancer treatment may move faster in the UK, similar efforts could face obstacles in the U.S., where CBD derived from marijuana is still considered an illegal substance under federal law. Progress is being made, however, with the US FDA approving the first drug comprised of CBD to treat severe forms of epilepsy.

Pancreatic cancer is among the deadliest forms of cancer in the world in terms of overall survival rates. According to the American Cancer Society, for all stages of pancreatic cancer combined, the one-year relative survival rate is 20%, and the five-year rate is just under 7%. It's the 12th most common cancer globally, with the highest incidence occuring in developed countries.

"The life expectancy for pancreatic cancer patients has barely changed in the last 40 years because there are very few, and mostly only palliative care, treatments available," Dr. Falasca added in a press statement. "Given the five-year survival rate for people with pancreatic cancer is less than seven percent, the discovery of new treatments and therapeutic strategies is urgently needed."

While this study hasn't yet been replicated in humans, the results underscore the importance of continued research involving marijuana compounds. As we've seen since the legalization movement started its push forward, studies have linked the compounds to multiple promising results, from easing migraine symptoms to improving stroke recovery to decreasing seizure severity, among others.

The more we learn about the potential of these compounds, the more it seems clear that decades of research being blocked by federal law deprived us of medical advances that are only now starting to surface.​

 

[mr peabody]

Jennifer Huse beats cancer diagnosis with Rick Simpson Oil*

by Cory Hughes

In 2016, Jennifer Huse was diagnosed with endometrial hyperplasia, a thickening of the uterine lining that, in many cases, leads to cancer.

Jennifer had been seeing early symptoms as far back as 2009, however, a proper diagnosis didn’t materialize until 2015. In the years leading up to her diagnosis, doctors had been recommending a complete hysterectomy.

By the time the diagnosis came in, doctors had detected the presence of advanced pre-cancerous cells. The only treatment recommended to her was hysterectomy, to prevent any possibility of cancer.

Finding this unacceptable, Jennifer made the decision to pack up and head to Colorado to give cannabis treatments a chance. The experience took Jennifer from being debilitated and hospitalized to feeling the best she has in years.

“Cannabis took me from knowing I was dying to feeling the best I have ever felt physically. I went from sickness to health in three months,” she says.

Jennifer is an active woman. She works with an organization known as The Venus Project, a group that advocates for a resource-based economy. She is constantly traveling back and forth between her home in New Jersey and The Venus Project headquarters in Florida.

Add to that trips to Denver for treatments and it’s amazing she had any energy left at all. When Jennifer first started showing symptoms, like a menstruation period that lasted for four months, she and her doctors were puzzled. Doctor after doctor tried to determine the problem, but none could. This went on for years with doctors pushing for a hysterectomy.

Jennifer made the decision to skip surgery and try cannabis. But before heading west, she wanted to reach out to women who were in similar circumstances, and she hoped she could pass on what she had learned to save other women from unnecessary procedures.

She got involved with Hysterectomy Educational Resources and Services (HERS), a group that specializes in offering health and education services to women in hopes of providing alternatives to invasive surgeries, particularly hysterectomies. Besides working with HERS, Jennifer released a heartfelt video online in which she tells her story, hoping women around the world will learn from her experience.

“Having to leave my kids, my businesses, and pay the expense of living in another state just to get non-toxic treatment was not only emotionally and physically draining but made me fully aware what little freedom we actually have,” she says.

When Jennifer arrived in Colorado in June 2016, she had just been married. At her wedding, she was worried that she was too sick to make it through the reception. When she advised her cannabis medical professional of her diagnosis and voiced her concern that the pre-cancerous cells could advance, the doctor knew just what to prescribe.

Jennifer started a regimen of the world-famous Rick Simpson oil (RSO). According to Simpson, his whole-plant cannabis oil has cured more than 5,000 people of cancerous and pre-cancerous cells. She was recommended to a dispensary that specializes in whole-plant cannabis oil treatments. The recommendation was 60 milligrams of RSO per day for 60 days.

Less than a month later, Jennifer’s head was clear, like a fog had lifted. She felt better daily, constantly seeing improvement in her appetite and ability to get around. She went back in for evaluation and after 90 days, it was found that there was no unhealthy tissue present and that the advanced pre-cancerous cells were gone.

Cannabis helped Jennifer get back on her feet and avoid the traditional surgical route that doctors are so quick to suggest. Jennifer spent years trying to find out what was going on with her body at tremendous cost, both physical and financial. Three months earlier she was barely able to get out of bed. Now, she was on top of the world.

Jennifer believes that to deny people medical cannabis treatments is to sentence them to a life of sickness and possibly even death. She wants to demonstrate there are more than pharmaceutical options available.

Jennifer is back to work with The Venus Project and still bouncing around the country helping to create a better future for all of us. She plans to continue her cannabis treatments when she returns to Colorado.

“My advice to anyone considering treatment would be if at all possible to try cannabis, especially before any non-reversible or highly toxic measures are taken,” she says.

*From the article here :

How Jennifer Huse Beat a Cancer Diagnosis Using Rick Simpson Oil

In 2016, Jennifer Huse became one of many marijuana refugees in the United States. Jennife

www.maximumyield.com

 

[mr peabody]

Rare Jamaican cannabis strain could treat pancreatic cancer*

Health Europa | 14 Jan 2020

Trials of the cannabis flavonoid, Caflanone (FBL-03G), for the treatment of pancreatic cancer, look set to go ahead this spring.

Flavocure, a drug discovery and development company, was granted Orphan drug status to its lead drug candidate, the cannabis flavonoid Caflanone (FBL-03G), by the FDA, following the successful demonstration of its therapeutic efficacy in tumour progression in animals with pancreatic cancer.

The company is now on track to begin clinical trials for treating pancreatic cancer with Caflanone in the spring. The research has received strong endorsements from Harvard University, the Pancreatic Cancer Network and others.

Medical Cannabis Network spoke to Co-Founder & Executive Vice Chairman, Clark Swanson, about Caflanone and the upcoming pancreatic cancer trials.

Caflanone (FBL-03G) research

Flavocure’s research into Caflanone is progressing at a rapid pace and will be entering Phase 1/2 of clinical trials later this year.

Swanson said: “We are very excited about this stage of the company’s growth and pioneering new immunotherapies. During the third quarter of this year, we received an Orphan Drug designation for FBL-03G from the FDA. This provides us with many distinct advantages.”

“Research continues at Harvard Medical School, an institution credited with development and collaboration of some of the world’s most successful drugs. Investigational New Drug (IND) enabling studies are essentially complete now, and we are confident in the results and the much-anticipated clinical stage of our company’s drug development.”

Black Swan: a rare Jamaican cannabis strain

Flavonoids are found in all types of plants and all strains of cannabis contain flavonoids, which account for their variety of taste and colour, depending on which flavonoids they contain. Currently, around 6000 flavonoids have been found throughout nature.

Caflanone, or FBL-03G, has been derived from an endemic strain of cannabis sativa found in Jamaica called Black Swan.

Swanson said: “The company Chairman, Hon. Dr Henry Lowe PhD. has been a pioneer of phytomedicine (medicine from plants) for decades, and a world renown research scientist. He has studied cannabis since 1974 and authored many books on the subject."

“Although some people don’t know where their drugs come from, it may surprise them to learn that many of them come directly from plants. Vincristine, for example, is a plant alkaloid, from periwinkle. It is among the most commonly used cancer drugs today."

“Dr Lowe discovered a rare strain of cannabis endemic to Jamaica. The strain has been labelled as “Black Swan” due to its high flavonoid rich spectrum. Typically, a cannabis plant flavonoid content is far less than 1%, averaging less than 0.14%. As such, Caflanone from cannabis for pharmaceutical purposes has been manufactured by way of a proprietary synthetic schema."

“Although you may frequently read about noteworthy scientists like Dr Mechleoum synthesis of CBD and THC as groundbreaking, Dr Lowe and his team of research scientists have done something equally challenging – produced commercial kilogramme quantities of cannabis derived flavonoids."

“To address the commercial viability of Flavocure, this was a huge step in the process and the schema remains classified. From Black Swan we anticipate the development of other new drugs yet to be discovered by researchers. Flavocure has isolated this strain and our work on the plant derived molecules continues.”

Treating pancreatic cancer with cannabis

In pre-clinical studies, conducted at Harvard Medical School, Caflanone exhibited successful results in difficult to treat animal models of pancreatic cancer.

Flavocure initially developed Cresorol – another flavonoid from the same Black Swan strain of cannabis – for treatment of acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), which also received Orphan Designation by the FDA, however, it acts on different mechanisms than Caflanone.

Swanson said: “These two flavonoids have the potential to be very effective when used in combination."

“We have preliminary evidence that Flavocure’s drug pipeline can become a new standard of care for patients suffering from pancreatic cancer. The pipeline also holds potential for AML as we have seen results in vivo which exceed the standard of care today by comparison.”

“However, our focus today is on the pancreatic cancer trials, enrolling patients suffering from pancreatic cancer.”

The trials for Calanone are expected to begin in Spring 2020, says Swanson, however, recruitment has not yet begun.”

He said: “Recruitment will begin the first quarter of 2020. At this time, we plan to carry out a multisite study. We anticipate east and west coast, USA. No further details are available at this time."

“If the research translates into the clinic, Flavocure may be in the unique position to offer patients with a new way to treat cancer. We are optimistic that the trials will be successful, and thus far research has shown that Caflanone (FBL-03G) to be non-toxic. This is a departure from most drugs in clinical trials which typically carry risk for toxicity and side effects.”

*From the article here :

Black Swan: rare Jamaican cannabis strain could treat pancreatic cancer

In 2019 a flavonoid of cannabis – Caflanone (FBL-03G) – was granted Orphan drug status by the United States Food and Drug Administration. Now, trials using the flavonoid to treat pancreatic cancer are anticipated to begin in the spring.

www.healtheuropa.eu

 

[mr peabody]

CBD shows promise in fighting an aggressive form of brain cancer

by Experimental Biology | Neuroscience News | 27 April 2020

Cannabidiol (CBD) appears to slow the growth of glioblastoma brain cancer cells in both animal and human cell lines. CBD’s anti-cancer actions target mitochondria, causing them to dysfunction and release harmful reactive oxygen species. Cancer cells treated with CBD exhibited significant decreases in mitochondrial activity.

Findings from a new study examining human and canine brain cancer cells suggest that cannabidiol could be a useful therapy for a difficult-to-treat brain cancer. Cannabidiol, or CBD, is a non-psychoactive chemical compound derived from marijuana.

The study looked at glioblastoma, an often-deadly form of brain cancer that grows and spreads very quickly. Even with major advancements in treatment, survival rates for this cancer have not improved significantly.

“Further research and treatment options are urgently needed for patients afflicted by brain cancer,” said Chase Gross, a student in the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine/Master of Science program at Colorado State University. “Our work shows that CBD has the potential to provide an effective, synergistic glioblastoma therapy option and that it should continue to be vigorously studied.”

Mr. Gross was scheduled to present this research at the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics annual meeting in San Diego this month. Though the meeting, to be held in conjunction with the 2020 Experimental Biology conference, was canceled in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, the research team’s abstract was published in this month’s issue of The FASEB Journal.

Mr. Gross and colleagues examined human and canine glioblastoma cells because the cancer shows striking similarities between the two species. They tested the effects of CBD isolate, which contains 100 percent CBD, and CBD extract, which contains small amounts of other natural occurring compounds such as cannabigerol and tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC.

“Our experiments showed that CBD slows cancer cell growth and is toxic to both canine and human glioblastoma cell lines,” said Mr. Gross. “Importantly, the differences in anti-cancer affects between CBD isolate and extract appear to be negligible.”

The new work revealed that the toxic effects of CBD are mediated through the cell’s natural pathway for apoptosis, a form of programmed cell death. The researchers also observed that CBD-induced cell death was characterized by large, swollen intracellular vesicles before the membrane begins to bulge and breakdown. This was true for all the cell lines studied.

The researchers believe that CBD’s anti-cancer actions target mitochondria–the cell’s energy producing structures–by causing the mitochondria to dysfunction and release harmful reactive oxygen species. Their experiments showed that cells treated with CBD exhibited significant decreases in mitochondrial activity.

“CBD has been zealously studied in cells for its anticancer properties over the last decade,” said Mr. Gross. “Our study helps complete the in vitro puzzle, allowing us to move forward in studying CBD’s effects on glioblastoma in a clinical setting using live animal models. This could lead to new treatments that would help both people and dogs that have this very serious cancer.”​

CBD shows promise for fighting aggressive brain cancer - Neuroscience News

Cannabidiol (CBD) appears to slow the growth of glioblastoma brain cancer cells in both animal and human cell lines. CBD's anti-cancer actions target mitochondria, causing them to dysfunction and release harmful reactive oxygen species. Cancer cells treated with CBD exhibited significant...

neurosciencenews.com

 

[mr peabody]

Ball-and-stick model of the L-ascorbic acid (vitamin C) molecule,
C6H8O6, as found in the crystal structure.

Fasting + vitamin C effective for hard-to-treat cancers

by University of Southern California | Medical Xpress | 12 May 2020

Scientists from USC and the IFOM Cancer Institute in Milan have found that a fasting-mimicking diet could be more effective at treating some types of cancer when combined with vitamin C.

In studies on mice, researchers found that the combination delayed tumor progression in multiple mouse models of colorectal cancer; in some mice, it caused disease regression. The results were published in the journal Nature Communications.

"For the first time, we have demonstrated how a completely non-toxic intervention can effectively treat an aggressive cancer," said Valter Longo, the study senior author and the director of the USC Longevity Institute at the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology and professor of biological sciences at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. "We have taken two treatments that are studied extensively as interventions to delay aging— a fasting-mimicking diet and vitamin C—and combined them as a powerful treatment for cancer."

The researchers said that while fasting remains a challenging option for cancer patients, a safer, more feasible option is a low-calorie, plant-based diet that causes cells to respond as if the body were fasting. Their findings suggest that a low-toxicity treatment of fasting-mimicking diet plus vitamin C has the potential to replace more toxic treatments.

Results of prior research on the cancer-fighting potential of vitamin C have been mixed. Recent studies, though, are beginning to show some efficacy, especially in combination with chemotherapy. In this new study, the research team wanted to find out whether a fasting-mimicking diet could enhance the high-dose vitamin C tumor-fighting action by creating an environment that would be unsustainable for cancer cells but still safe for normal cells.

"Our first in vitro experiment showed remarkable effects," said Longo. "When used alone, fasting-mimicking diet or vitamin C alone reduced cancer cell growth and caused a minor increase in cancer cell death. But when used together, they had a dramatic effect, killing almost all cancerous cells."

Longo and his colleagues detected this strong effect only in cancer cells that had a mutation that is regarded as one of the most challenging targets in cancer research. These mutations in the KRAS gene signal the body is resisting most cancer-fighting treatments, and they reduce a patient's survival rate. KRAS mutations occur in approximately a quarter of all human cancers and are estimated to occur in up to half of all colorectal cancers.

The study also provided clues about why previous studies of vitamin C as a potential anticancer therapy showed limited efficacy. By itself, a vitamin C treatment appears to trigger the KRAS-mutated cells to protect cancer cells by increasing levels of ferritin, a protein that binds iron. But by reducing levels of ferritin, the scientists managed to increase vitamin C's toxicity for the cancer cells. Amid this finding, the scientists also discovered that colorectal cancer patients with high levels of the iron-binding protein have a lower chance of survival.

"In this study, we observed how fasting-mimicking diet cycles are able to increase the effect of pharmacological doses of vitamin C against KRAS-mutated cancers," said Maira Di Tano, a study co-author at the IFOM, FIRC Institute of Molecular Oncology in Milan, Italy. "This occurs through the regulation of the levels of iron and of the molecular mechanisms involved in oxidative stress. The results particularly pointed to a gene that regulates iron levels: heme-oxygenase-1."

The research team's prior studies showed that fasting and a fasting-mimicking diet slow cancer's progression and make chemotherapy more effective in tumor cells, while protecting normal cells from chemotherapy-associated side effects. The combination enhances the immune system's anti-tumor response in breast cancer and melanoma mouse models.

The scientists believe cancer will eventually be treated with low-toxicity drugs in a manner similar to how antibiotics are used to treat infections that kill particular bacteria, but which can be substituted by other drugs if the first is not effective.

To move toward that goal, they say they needed to first test two hypotheses: that their non-toxic combination interventions would work in mice, and that it would look promising for human clinical trials. In this new study, they said that they've demonstrated both. At least five clinical trials, including one at USC on breast cancer and prostate cancer patients, are now investigating the effects of the fasting-mimicking diets in combination with different cancer-fighting drugs.​

A combo of fasting plus vitamin C is effective for hard-to-treat cancers, study shows

Scientists from USC and the IFOM Cancer Institute in Milan have found that a fasting-mimicking diet could be more effective at treating some types of cancer when combined with vitamin C.

medicalxpress.com

 

[mr peabody]

Cannabinoid-based medicines and the treatment of cancer

by Guy Chamberland, M.Sc., Ph.D | OncoZine | 8 June 2020

Mankind has long known about the therapeutic benefits of cannabis, but that is hardly enough to support the incorporation of cannabinoid-based medicines into the health care system.

For thousands of years, people have claimed that smoking cannabis relieves pain. When a belief endures for this length of time based on anecdotal information it deserves a deeper dive. The challenge I signed up for when I took the helm at Tetra Bio-Pharma, was to prove this scientifically with a pharmaceutical pathway that underscores our mission and values.

Chronic pain

Cannabinoids may be useful in treating chronic pain, reducing opioid use, and helping relieve pain and suffering where traditional pharmaceuticals or alternative therapies have failed. In that case, they could become a game-changer in how we deal with pain. But I am not alone in wanting proof. For several years now, the uptake of cannabis for medical use has been limited because of the absence of scientific data that conforms to the rigorous standards required by regulators, medical associations, and payers.

I saw the end solution to be simple, the road to getting there, not so much.

I became convinced that the only way that cannabinoid therapeutics would be incorporated into the traditional healthcare system was by following a classic drug development program. Discovering how inhaled cannabis works and learning the pharmacokinetics of how pain-relieving chemicals are delivered to the central nervous system, was key to the research we do at Tetra. Fast forward and we are currently investigating CAUMZ™, a cannabinoid-derived medicine that uses synthetic THC and CBD delivered to patients using an inhaler called the Mighty Medic, a medical device created by Storz & Bickell, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Canopy Growth. The device is currently approved for use in Canada and is under review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as part of the approval process for CAUMZ™.

CAUMZ™ is being investigated for two indications. Our Phase II/III clinical trial called SERENITY© will study CAUMZ™ as a treatment to improve physical functioning and for modulating cachexia progression in patients with advanced cancer. Cancer cachexia remains an unmet medical need even though an estimated 50-80% of cancer patients suffer from it.

Finding evidence beyond anecdotal reports

Despite the anecdotical reports of patients and physicians claiming that cannabis was helpful to manage the constellation of associated symptoms such as loss of appetite, weight loss, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, and pain as of today, there are only a limited number of studies conducted on the condition, and to assess cannabinoids to manage the symptoms. CAUMZ™ dosage and route of administration increase the bioavailability of the drug, signifying an advantage over other cannabinoids and cannabis extracts.

A further Phase II trial called REBORN© is a head to head study investigating the efficacy of CAUMZ™ versus immediate-release oral opioids to measure pain intensity and the onset of action for breakthrough pain in cancer patients. For individuals suffering from debilitating pain, the faster they can achieve relief the better, so if successful, this research may offer an improved quality of life for these patients and reduce their opioid consumption. We are optimistic that CAUMZ is qualified for several FDA regulatory pathways that would see the time needed to have the drug approved and to market considerably reduced.

Another of Tetra’s cannabinoid-derived drugs undergoing Phase II clinical trial in the United States is QIXLEEF™, an inhaled medicine that is being tested for the treatment of uncontrolled pain in advanced cancer patients. Unlike CAUMZ™ which is based on a synthetic cannabinoid, QIXLEEF™ is a botanical product that uses dried flower buds. A Letter of Advice and Type B meeting with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) added important information that will evaluate the drugs’ impact on advanced cancer patients with uncontrolled pain. Based on a successful outcome, Tetra would be able to commercialize the world’s very first dried flower botanical cannabinoid drug product for the treatment of uncontrolled pain in patients with advanced cancer.

Orphan drug designation

Tetra has also received FDA Orphan Drug Designation for THC in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), also known as primary liver cancer, is the most common form of liver cancer and is responsible for 80 percent of the primary malignant liver tumors in adults. It is the second most frequent cause of cancer-related death globally. Tetra intends to leverage the pharmacokinetic and safety data from the CAUMZ Phase I clinical trial to support its Phase II trial of a modified formulation of CAUMZ, under the name HCC 011.

The phase II trial will investigate the efficacy of HCC011, administered in combination with the first line-therapy sorafenib, to improve control disease in inoperable, advanced hepatocellular carcinoma patients. One of the next steps will be a Type B meeting with the FDA to discuss the HCC011 proposed clinical program and overall premarketing requirements.

Legitimacy of cannabinoids

Proving the legitimacy of cannabinoids for inclusion into the healthcare system is closer than ever and will lead to greater access for patients based on unequivocal trust. Those in the biopharmaceutical industry know that drug discovery and development is a long game.

They know the difference between medical cannabis and cannabinoid-derived medicine. While the race is on to commercialize cannabinoid-derived drugs for unmet medical needs I see more than enough reason to exercise care and caution to get the job done, not the least of which is putting patients first.​

Then, and only then will the maximum benefit of cannabinoids reach their full potential.

Providing the Legitimacy of Cannabinoids for the Treatment of Cancer - Onco'Zine

Mankind has long known about the therapeutic benefits of cannabis, but to me, that is hardly enough to support the incorporation of cannabinoid-based medicines into the health care system. For thousands of years, people have claimed that smoking cannabis relieves pain. When a belief endures for...

www.oncozine.com