Researchers from South Korea have successfully isolated a new cannabinoid compound from cannabis flowers, along with several other substances that show significant promise in fighting neuroblastoma, a common childhood cancer.
The discovery, published in the peer-reviewed journal Pharmaceuticals, identifies the novel cannabinoid cannabielsoxa and documents the first-ever isolation of certain chlorin-type compounds from cannabis plants, several of which demonstrated strong anti-tumour properties.
The research team, comprising scientists from Wonkwang University, the Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, and multiple other South Korean institutions, evaluated 11 compounds isolated from cannabis flowers for their effects against neuroblastoma cells.
“Eleven compounds were isolated from the flowers of C. sativa, including two new compounds, namely cannabielsoxa, 132-hydroxypheophorbide c ethyl ester, and six known cannabinoids, together with the first isolation of chlorin-type compounds from this plant,” the researchers wrote in their paper.
Seven of the tested compounds showed significant inhibitory effects on neuroblastoma cells, including cannabidiolic acid (CBDA), cannabidiolic acid methyl ester (CBDA-ME), cannabidiol (CBD), delta-8-tetrahydrocannabinol (delta-8 THC), cannabichromene (CBC), and two chlorin-type compounds.
“The cannabinoid compounds had stronger inhibitory effects on neuroblastoma cells than chlorin-type compounds,” the researchers noted. Interestingly, the newly discovered cannabielsoxa did not demonstrate significant anti-cancer properties in this study.
Neuroblastoma, which primarily affects young children, accounts for approximately 6% of all childhood cancers. The researchers suggest that these findings could be “an initial step toward developing a product for the treatment of neuroblastoma,” as CBD and CBDA are major compounds found abundantly in the cannabis plant.
The study adds to growing evidence of cannabis compounds having therapeutic potential against cancer. Earlier this month, US researchers published what has been described as the “largest-ever meta-analysis on medical cannabis and its effects on cancer-related symptoms,” which found “overwhelming scientific consensus” on the therapeutic effects of cannabis for cancer patients.
The previous analysis, published in Frontiers in Oncology, reviewed data from over 10,000 peer-reviewed studies, more than ten times the number in previous reviews. Lead researcher Ryan Castle from the Whole Health Oncology Institute stated that the results showed “for every one study that showed cannabis was ineffective, there were three that showed it worked.” The institute noted that this 3:1 ratio of effectiveness “rivals or exceeds that for many FDA-approved medications,” highlighting the potential significance of medicinal cannabis based treatments in oncology care.
