THC Kills Human Brain Tumor Cells

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SETH scientists discovered that THC, the major active compound in medical marijuana, can selectively kill human brain tumor cells in Petri dishes at non-toxic concentrations (see Featured Experiment).

The work has been published in the peer-reviewed medical journal, The Journal of Neuro-Oncology (2005), volume 74, pages 31-40. A synthetic compound that mimics the activity of THC did not perform as well as the herbal compound in parallel tests.

Parallel experiments were performed testing the effect of Δ9-THC on human brain cancer cells (glioblastoma multiforme, or GBM) and also on normal brain cells. Putting this herbal compound through the same tests that a new chemotherapeutic agent would go through revealed a potent and remarkably specific anti-cancer effect. Both types of cells were treated with the same concentration of Δ9-THC but after 20 hours only the cancer cells died. Cell death is seen in the lower right panel as cells shrinking to inanimate white spheres. Source



Parallel experiments were performed testing the effect of Δ9-THC on human brain cancer cells (glioblastoma multiforme, or GBM) and also on normal brain cells. Putting this herbal compound through the same tests that a new chemotherapeutic agent would go through revealed a potent and remarkably specific anti-cancer effect. Both types of cells were treated with the same concentration of Δ9-THC but after 20 hours only the cancer cells died. Cell death is seen in the lower right panel as cells shrinking to inanimate white spheres. Source