Abstract
Marijuana (cannabis sativa), a schedule 1 drug has been recently approved by some of states in the US for its therapeutic benefit. Although few reports discuss about its anti‐cancer potential, currently it has been used mainly for epilepsy and to alleviate pain associated with many diseases. However, due to marijuana's addictive potential there are restrictions for its use. Hemp, which belongs to the same genus and species as marijuana shows similar therapeutic benefits with much less addictive potential due to the low level of the addictive component, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Both marijuana and hemp are rich in therapeutically valuable cannabidiol (CBD) and cannabidiolic acid (CBD‐A). The major objective of the current study is to investigate KY hemp's therapeutic potential against ovarian cancer. Our laboratory is interested in searching for alternative therapies for ovarian cancer. As a candidate drug we have investigated the anti‐cancer potential of KY grown hemp using two different epithelial ovarian cancer cell (OCC) lines, which are A2780 and MES‐OV. KY Hemp extracts were made using supercritical CO2 extraction method by KY Commonwealth Extracts Company. Following High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) analysis by MRX laboratories we have obtained this extract to study its anti‐cancer potential. There are no reports on anti‐cancer activity of KY hemp against ovarian cancer or any type of cancer yet. Therefore, this study provides novelty.MethodsFollowing serum starvation, OCCs were treated with vehicle (negative control), 80 μM doxorubicin and cisplatin, and different concentrations of hemp extracts that contain 8.5–335 μM CBD. Hemp‐induced modulation of ovarian cancer cell viability was assessed spectrophotometrically by MTT cell proliferation assay and Calcein AM assay. The MTT assay detects formazan product formed due to mitochondrial reductase enzyme present in viable cells. The Calcein assay detects the esterase enzyme activity present in viable cells. Ethidium homodimer dye (ETHD‐1) was used to detect total cell death. ETHD‐1 penetrates only damaged cell membranes and binds different molecules such as cell debris, single stranded DNA, double stranded DNA, and peptides. Calcein AM and ETHD‐1 fluorescence was also detected microscopically. KY Hemp extract has significantly decreased OCC proliferation and caused total cell death. KY Hemp extract has shown anti‐cancer properties comparable to doxorubicin and cisplatin. Based on the data here we conclude that KY Hemp has significant anti‐cancer potential against ovarian cancerSupport or Funding InformationFunding is provided by the Sullivan University System via a faculty development grant awarded to Dr. Sumanasekera. Grant number: RG‐1‐PS‐2017‐04
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