Dr. Deluca: THC/CBD Can Induce Cancer Cell Death Via Apoptosis

By: Dr. Roberta Deluca

Killing cancer cells can be a function of THC and CBD cannabinoids. Both cannabinoids, using different mechanisms, can induce cancer cell death through apoptosis. Cannabinoids also can delay or suppress the growth of malignant tumors through apoptosis. 

Apoptosis is defined as “programmed cell death” because it occurs at the end of the life cycle of healthy cells. When cell development and body functions are normal, cells naturally expire through apoptosis. Apoptosis is the body’s way of clearing out old and cells before they become problematic.

Cannabis Kills Cancer Cells by Inducing Apoptosis

When cancer cells don’t function the way healthy cells do, instead of self-destructing at the end of the life cycle, or when dysfunction sets in, cancer effectively switches off a cell’s ability to naturally expire. This is why cells pile up on top of each other and create a non-functioning mass of flesh, called a tumor.

Apoptosis is The Best Defense Against Disease

The word “Apoptosis  means “falling off.” While apoptosis is a way of causing cell death, it is not the only way. The degree notion reflects the natural process of apoptosis.

Healthy adults lose between 50 to 70 billion cells  a day from apoptosis. Once cells have lived their life and served their function, they die off. The purpose is to make room for new cells to take over the function of the body’s health maintenance.

Killing Cancer Cells is Easy

Two of the main active ingredients in cannabis —THC AND CBD, can lead to apoptosis in cancer cells, but they do it in different ways.

THC functions like a mine-seeking mechanism. The way THC reacts with the body’s endocannabinoid system, it selectively triggers apoptosis in cancer cells, AND only in cancer cells. Killing cancer cells is the function of THC and CBD.

THC can pinpoint which cells are cancerous and which are healthy. So when THC is absorbed by the body, it sends out signals to  cancerous cells to kill themselves and cancer cells respond accordingly.

CBD elevates levels of capases, ( protein enzymes), in cancer cells. Capase proteins are key players in a cell’s ability to undergo apoptosis. When CBD is introduced to a cell, the body’s reaction is to increase the levels of capases. This creates a more functional apoptosis system.

CBD causes the level of oxygen-rich elements within the body to kill the cancer. This process has substantiated by an Italian study that held CBD’s ability to saturate cells with oxygen-rich elements yields apoptosis in cancerous cells; cancer cells cannot survive or live in such environments.

Cannabinoids and cumulative chemical reactions present in the body increase the natural defenses that have been shut down by cancer.

NOTE: Cannabis is not a cure for cancer;  the science hasn’t been proven to back up the claims (Yet). It’s important not to overreach when discussing a legitimate alternative treatment. All clinical commentary should be reserved for the lab where the experimentation on cell lines occurs.

We know, without a doubt, that cannabis can help fight cancer by shrinking the tumor.and impeding its growth. The results of a continued study of cell apoptosis can  help motivate and encourage patients to cope with depression and the side effects of chemotherapy and radiation.

Thank you for reading Dr. Deluca's article.

Mike Robinson, Founder, Global Cannabinoid Research Center