Medicinal cannabis a potential treatment for cervical cancer
Women may soon be using marijuana as a treatment for cervical (uterine) cancer. Indeed, a new study suggests that the cannabis plant contains a chemical compound that would encourage the death of cancer cells. This compound we know, cannabidiol (CBD)
Uterus cancer
The uterus is a preponderant female genital organ for reproduction, it is at its level that pregnancy takes place. Cancer of the cervix can affect young women (rare under the age of 20), but its appearance increases with aging (in those under 50). It is very often related to an infection by a virus, HPV or human papillomavirus, which can be responsible for precancerous lesions.
The symptoms of cervical cancer according to " Cancer Research UK The most common is bleeding from the vagina. This cancer can cause bleeding during or after sex, between periods, or at any time if the person is past menopause. Symptoms of cervical cancer also include vaginal discharge, unpleasant discomfort and pain during sex.
Cervical cancer will affect approximately 12.990 women in the United States in 2016, according to the American Cancer Society. And nearly 4120 women are expected to die from the disease in the same year ...
Cell suicide (apoptosis)
Researchers at the University of North-West University in South Africa have found that the CBD triggers apoptosis. Apoptosis is characterized at the cellular level by compaction of chromatin and invagination of plasma membranes. Apoptotic bodies, which correspond to fragmentations of the cell, appear and can be phagocytosed. The results obtained indicate that cannabidiol and cannabis sativa extracts were able to stop cell proliferation in all cell lines. They further revealed that apoptosis was induced by cannabidiol (CBD).
Apoptosis (or programmed cell death) is the process by which cells trigger their self-destruction in response to a signal. Apoptosis corresponds to the suicide of irreparable cells, DNA (damaged telomeres) to prevent the appearance of cancer.
The results complement many previous studies on the anti-cancer properties of marijuana; of his roles anti-inflammatory, its anti-cancer effects on tumor growth
However, the researchers note that further studies are needed to test the therapeutic potential of cannabis as a treatment for cervical cancer. The research was published in BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicin.
