The antitumor activity of cannabidiol on lung cancer cell lines A549 and H1299: the role of apoptosis

Abstract

In the recent years, the application of new antitumor drugs has focused on the replacement of conventional chemotherapeutics with compounds derived from natural products. Cannabidiol (CBD) is one of the 113 cannabinoids derived from the plant Cannabis sativa and is characterized with complex and not entirely understood biological function. Unlike the other most abundant cannabinoid in Cannabis sativa – tetrahydrocannabinol, cannabidiol has low affinity to the endocannabinoid receptors and the manifestation of its activity does not appear to rely on the endocannabinoid system. Cannabidiol is used in the treatment of many diseases including some types of cancer. The aim of our study was to evaluate the cytotoxic activity of cannabidiol and its effect on the process of programmed cell death. This process is directly involved in the antitumor effect of many drugs. Two lung cancer cell lines, A549 expressing р53 and H1299-p53 negative, were used. Apoptosis was monitored by Anexin V assay and the activation of Caspase 3/7. We found that CBD treatment led to a dose-dependant apoptosis increase in p53 positive A549 cells. The level of apoptosis in p53 negative H1299 cells was much lower and did not seem to be dose dependent. However, the total cell viability was similar for the two cell lines, which was due to the increased necrosis observed in H1299 cells.