CBG and CBC Kill Gastrointestinal Cancer Cells in Preliminary Study

Funded by U.S. company Cannabics Pharmaceuticals, a firm focused on the development of cannabinoid therapies for cancer treatment, Israeli researchers have demonstrated the anti-tumor efficacy of CBG and CBC against human gastrointestinal cancer cell lines.


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TEL AVIV, Israel and BETHESDA, Maryland, Jan. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/PRESS RELEASE -- Cannabics Pharmaceuticals Inc. (OTCQB: CNBX), a leader in personalized cannabinoid medicine focused on cancer and its side effects, announced today that in a series of tests conducted at the company's High Through-put Screening (HTS) facility in Israel, it has been shown that the cannabinoids CBC (cannabichromene) and CBG (cannabigerol) both exhibit anti-tumor properties, tested on human gastrointestinal cancer cells.

CBC is an additional non-intoxicating cannabinoid and is one of the naturally occurring phytocannabinoids. It bears a host of potential positive therapeutic qualities and may promote antimicrobial, anti‐inflammatory, analgesic, and neurogenesis activity. It is particularly found in younger cannabis plants, albeit in small quantities. 

In these tests, the HTS platform was utilized to screen the necrotic effects of a variety of cannabinoids on human gastrointestinal cancer cells, in addition to other cancer types previously tested. CBC and CBG were both shown to induce significantly higher rates of necrosis in these cancer cells compared to other cannabinoids, thus strengthening previously obtained results.

© credit | Cannabics Pharmaceuticals
Cannabinoid extract causing necrosis in gastrointestinal cancer cell line. The Yellow color is a marker for necrosis. On the right - control, on the left – after treatment with cannabinoids

Dr. Yaakov Waksman, the company's head of cannabinoid research, said, "My working assumption is that these results show that a correlation may exist between a cannabinoid's Topological Polar Surface Area (TPSA) value and its ability to induce anti-tumor activity, diminishing cancer cell's viability rates. CBC and CBG, as neutral cannabinoids, were both found to have a TPSA value which allows the cannabinoid molecule to penetrate a cancer cell's membrane, whereas their acidic form (CBCA and CBGA) - do not. This could explain the difference in anti-tumor activity rates demonstrated".

Related: Pre-Clinical Study Suggests CBG Is More Effective Than CBGA on Stomach and Bone Cancers

Dr. Eyal Ballan, CTO and Co-Founder, commented, "Gastrointestinal cancers are amongst the leading and most wide-spread causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide. We are intrigued by the results we have obtained in the lab, and our aim is to consider placing an emphasis on this organ system, and to further explore the differential anti-tumor properties of cannabinoids. We believe that these preliminary results vindicate our vision; which is to bring personalization into cannabinoid-based cancer treatments."