Thursday, August 19, 2004

Marijuana Extract Fights Brain Cancer in Mice

The cannabinoids inhibited the expression of several genes critical to angiogenesis known as the VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor) pathway. “Blockade of the VEGF pathway constitutes one of the most promising antitumoral approaches currently available,” Guzman says. The cannabinoids work by increasing the potency of a fat molecule known as ceramide, the team posits. Increased ceramide activity, in turn, inhibits cells that would normally produce VEGF and encourage blood vessel growth.

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