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Antineoplastic Activity c0clinnabinolds' ' O <br />A. E. Munson, L. S. Harris, M. A. Friedman, W. L. Dewey, and R. A. Carchman 3 <br />SUMMARY—Lewis lung adenocarclnoms growth was retarded <br />by the oral administration of Ar -tetrahydrocannabinol (Ar -THC), <br />A` -tetrahydrocannabinol (A' -THC), and cannabinol (CBN), but <br />not cannabidiol (CBD). Animals treated for 30 consecutive days <br />with A' -THC, beginning the day after tumor Implantation, <br />demonstrated a dose-dependent action of retarded tumor <br />growth, Mice treated for 20 consecutive days with As -THC and <br />CON had reduced primary tumor size. CBD showed no Inhlbl• <br />tory effect on tumor growth at 14, 21, or 28 days. A' -THC, <br />A' -THC, and CON Increased the mean survival time (36% at <br />100 mg/kg, 25% at 200 mg/kg, and 27% at 50 mg/kg, re• <br />spectively), whereas CBD did not. .11 -THC administered orally <br />dally until death In doses of 50, 100, or 200 mg/kg did not <br />Increase the life -spans of (C578L/6 x DBA/2)Fl (BDF,) mice <br />hosting the L1210 murine leukemia. However, As -THC admin- <br />Istered dally for 30 days significantly Inhibited Friend leu. <br />kemia virus -Induced splenomegaly by 71% at 200 mg/kg as <br />compared to 90.2% for actinomycin D. Experiments with bone <br />marrow and Isolated Lewis lung cells Incubated In vitro with <br />AP -THC and Aa -THC showed a dose-dependent (10.1-10,1) <br />Inhibition (80-20%, respectively) of titillated thymidine and <br />11C.uridine uptake Into these cells. CBD was active only In <br />high concentrations (10-1),—) Nall Cancer Inst 55: 597-602, <br />1975. <br />Investigations into the physiologic processes affected <br />by file psychoactive constituents of marihuana fpr-tetra- <br />Ipdrocannabinol (A'-TFIC) and A'.tctrahydroc-innabinol <br />(Y.TIIC)j purified from Cannabis sntiva are extensive <br />(1). l to vever, only recently have aaseuspts been made to <br />elucf(bae the biochemical basis for their cytotoxic or, <br />cytostatic activity. Lcuchfcnbciger ct al. (2) demon. <br />strated that human lung culhtcs exposed to marihuana <br />smoke showed alterations in DNA synthesis, scull the <br />appealance of anaphase bridge%. 7.inunernil" 111d Afc- <br />Clean ()), s(ildying macromolecular synthesis in Tc7in- <br />hynrenn, indicated shit VCly IOIv coriceintr.1tioil% of 69. <br />TIM inhibited RNA, DNA, and plotein synthesis alld <br />produced c tolysis. Stenchever et a). (1) showed an in- <br />a'case in the number of damaged or broken chromo- <br />somes in chronic users of marihuan-i. As-7'IIC adminis- <br />tered iv inhibited bone marrow Icukopoicsis (3), and <br />KOlodny et al. (0) reported that marihuana may impair <br />a <br />scostcrouc secretion -incl spermatogenesis. Fursherniore, <br />Nahas et al. (7) showed that in chronic marihuana users <br />dleie is a decrease(] IyrnphocJ'te reactivity to mitogens as <br />measured by thymidine uptake. These and other (8) <br />observations suggcsf that marihuana (;1':I-IIC) interferes <br />with s•it'll cell biocllentical processes, though no definite <br />nicchani.snt has yet been esmblishcd. A preliminary re. <br />POI -1 hon this laboratory (9) indicated that file ability of <br />-%'--I'IIC to interfere with normal cell functions might <br />prove efficacious against neoplasms. -Fhis report repre- <br />sents an effort to test various cannabinoids in several <br />in vivo and in vitro Unnor systems to determine the <br />kinds of tumors that arc sensitive to Thcsc coollsoanlds <br />and reveal their possible biochemical sites of action(s). <br />MATERIALS AND METHODS <br />The tumor systems used sverc the Lcwis lung adcno- <br />k-r <br />carcinoma, leukemia L1210, and B -tropic Friend leu- <br />kemia. <br />!n vivo spslcnis.-1-CIvis Will; tumor; For the mainte- <br />nance of file "wets lung carcinoma, approximately <br />1 -mm' pieces of tunior were transplanted into C57BL/6 <br />mice wall a 15 -gauge trocar. !n experiments involving <br />chemotherapy, 14- to 18 -day-old tumors were excised, <br />cleared of (debris and necrotic tissue, and cut into small <br />fragments (== I nima). Tumor tissue was tile,, placed in <br />0.25;, trypsin in Dulbecco's medium with 100 U penicil- <br />"11/1111 and 100 pg streptomycin/ml. After 90 minutes' <br />incubation at 22° C. trypsin action leas stopped by file <br />ad(lition of complete mediuni containing heat-inacti. <br />entad fetal calf serum (final concentration, 20;). Cells <br />sverc washed two tinges in complete medium, entnnerated <br />in a Cot ]it <br />counfcr (Model Z13,) or on a hcmocytometcr, <br />and resilsperl(lc(I in serum -free medium at a concentra- <br />liou of 5x 104 cells/nil. Next I x 104 cells were injected <br />fun into the right hind gluteus muscle, and (]rugs admin. <br />isicred as described in "Results." Standard regimens pro. <br />vided for 10 consecutive (gaily doses beginning 21 hours <br />after tumor inoculation. Body weights were recorded be. <br />fore tumor inoculation -incl weekly for 2 weeks. Tumor <br />si7c was measured weekly for the duration of the cx(,cri- <br />ment and converted to mg tumor weight, as described <br />by Mayo (/0). <br />Friend leukemia: B -tropic Friend leukemia ,virus <br />(FIA') was maintained in IIAI,B/c "lice, and dnlg evalu- <br />ation performed in the sante animals. Pools of virus wcic <br />plep-ired floor like plasma of mice given FLV and stored <br />at -700 C. In cxperinients with FLV, 0.2 nil of a 1/20 <br />dilution of plasma (derive(] from FI,V.infected mice) in <br />medium seas inoctllated if) into BA1.11/e mica Cannabi- <br />noids sverc administered orally daily for 10 consecu. <br />tive da)s beginning 2.1 hours after virus inoculation. <br />T%venf)'-four hours after the last drug administration, the <br />mice wcrc killed by cervical dislocation, and the spleens <br />removed and svcigllcd. \rice not given FLV wcrc treated <br />as described above, to e%•aluate possible drag induced <br />spleuomcgaly. <br />1.1210 leukemia: The murine leukemia L1210 was <br />nrlinlained in DBA/2 mice by w'eckly transfers of 101 <br />cells derived from the peritoneal cavity. In these experi- <br />orenss. IOa leukemia cells sverc inoculated ill into <br />(C57ISI./6 X DBA/2)17, (IIDF,) mice, and the ,,)ice sverc <br />treated (gaily for 10 consecutive (la)s beginning 21 hours <br />after tunsor cell inoculation. Mean survival time %vas <br />used as an index of drug activity. <br />!n villa c"fl J)slerns.—Lewis lung tumor: We obtained <br />isolated I.e%vis lung tumor cells by subjecting I-mrns sec- <br />tions of utmor to 0.25:. trypsin at 220 C and stirring for <br />60-90 minutes. After tr)psinization, the cells were centri- <br />1 Recci%ed December 26, 1974; accepted pfay 30, 1975. <br />'Supported by Public Ifeallh Senicc grant DA00190 frnin the <br />\3(101131 tnrtitu(t on Drug Abuse. Ilcalth Scniccs k kfnnal <br />Ilcalth Adruinirtntion; by a gnat from the Alexander and \lar <br />garc( stcaart 'fruit Fun(; and by an imtilulional grant from lbe <br />Anierican Cancer Society. <br />a Deparlinent or rhatmacology and the klCl'/l'CU Cancer Cen. <br />ler, Stedical C0IIc9e of Virginia. Virgil li3 ICV/VCU Can er Cen. <br />III)', Ridwlond, Va. 23298, <br />JOURNAL OF TIIE NATIONAL CANCER INSTITUTE, VOL, 53, NO. S, SF.r'r F.%IRER 1975 <br />Fitz FT TtilstF( PgGFS) <br />597 <br />