Exploring the Potential of Synthetic Cannabinoids - Modulation of Biological Activity of Normal and Cancerous Human Colon Epithelial Cells

Sep 21, 2026

Colorectal cancer (CRC) remains a major global health challenge, and current treatments such as surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy show limited effectiveness. To address the need for safer and more efficacious anticancer options, this study chemically synthesized cannabinoids including cannabidiol (CBD), abnormal cannabigerol (abn-CBG), cannabichromene (CBC), and cannabicitran (CBT). Biological assays assessed their effects on normal colonic epithelial cells and cancer colon cells, focusing on lifespan, metabolic activity, apoptosis induction, mitochondrial dehydrogenase activity, membrane integrity, and cell cycle progression. Antioxidant capacity and relationships with nitric oxide (NO) production were also evaluated. Results indicate cannabinoids may serve as candidates for further research and potential alternative or combined therapies for human colon cancer.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages21

Reading Time53 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Background and clinical limitations of CRC therapies

Rationale for investigating cannabinoids

Abstracted study focus

Cannabinoid synthesis and biological evaluation

Effects on cell survival, metabolism, apoptosis, and cell cycle

Antioxidant activity and nitric oxide production

cells Article Exploring the Potential of Synthetic Cannabinoids: Modulation of Biological Activity of Normal and Cancerous Human Colon Epithelial Cells Roman Paduch 1,2, Katarzyna Szwaczko 3, Kamil Dziuba 3, * and Adrian Wiater 4, * Citation: Paduch, R.; Szwaczko, K.; Dziuba, K.; Wiater, A. Exploring the Potential of Synthetic Cannabinoids: Modulation of Biological Activity of Normal and Cancerous Human Colon Epithelial Cells. Cells 2024, 13, 1616 . [https://doi.org/10.3390/cells13191616](https://doi.org/10.3390/cells13191616) Academic Editor: Steve Shnyder Received: 30 August 2024 Revised: 22 September 2024 Accepted: 25 September 2024 Published: 26 September 2024 Copyright: © 2024 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license ([https://](https://)[ ](https://)[creativecommons.org/licenses/by/](creativecommons.org/licenses/by/)[ ](creativecommons.org/licenses/by/)[4.0/](4.0/)) . 1 Department of Virology and Immunology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, Maria Curie-Skłodowska University, Akademicka 19, 20-033 Lublin, Poland; [roman.paduch@mail.umcs.pl](roman.paduch@mail.umcs.pl) 2 Department of General and Pediatric Ophthalmology, Medical University, Chmielna 1, 20-079 Lublin, Poland 3 Department of Organic Chemistry and Crystallochemistry, Institute of Chemical Sciences, Faculty of Chemistry, Marie Curie-Skłodowska University, Gliniana 33, 20-614 Lublin, Poland; [katarzyna.szwaczko@mail.umcs.pl](katarzyna.szwaczko@mail.umcs.pl) 4 Department of Industrial and Environmental Microbiology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, Maria Curie-Skłodowska University, Akademicka 19, 20-033 Lublin, Poland * Correspondence: [kamil.dziuba@mail.umcs.pl](kamil.dziuba@mail.umcs.pl) (K.D.); [adrian.wiater@mail.umcs.pl](adrian.wiater@mail.umcs.pl) (A.W.) Abstract: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a global problem. Oncology currently practices conventional methods of treating this carcinoma, including surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy. Unfortunately, their efficacy is low; hence, the exploration of new therapies is critical. Recently, many efforts have focused on developing safe and effective anticancer compounds. Some of them include cannabinoids. In the present study, we obtained cannabinoids, such as cannabidiol (CBD), abnormal cannabigerol (abn-CBG), cannabichromene (CBC), and cannabicitran (CBT), by chemical synthesis and performed the biological evaluation of their activity on colon cancer cells. In this study, we analyzed the effects of selected cannabinoids on the lifespan and metabolic activity of normal colonic epithelial cells and cancer colon cells. This study demonstrated that cannabinoids can induce apoptosis in cancer cells by modulating mitochondrial dehydrogenase activity and cellular membrane integrity. The tested cannabinoids also influenced cell cycle progression. We also investigated the antioxidant activity of cannabinoids and established a relationship between the type of cannabinoidand nitric oxide (NO) production in normal and cancerous colon cells. To conclude, it seems that, due to their interesting properties, the cannabinoids studied may constitute an interesting target for further research aimed at their use in alternative or combined therapies for human colon cancer. Keywords: cannabinoids; colon cancer; colon normal epithelial cells; cytotoxicity; cell cycle 1. Introduction Colorectal cancer (CRC) is gradually becoming one of the most important medical problems in oncology. CRC is a rather diverse disease both in terms of its clinical manifestation and biological background. It is indicated that there are various symptoms, not always characteristic of CRC, as well as diverse molecular characteristics. This may lead to the detection of the tumor at various stages of advan

FAQs

Why is exploring new therapies for colorectal cancer necessary?

Current CRC treatments such as surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy have limited efficacy. Their constraints and side effects make the search for safer, more effective anticancer factors important.

Which synthetic cannabinoids were produced and tested in the study?

The study synthesized cannabidiol (CBD), abnormal cannabigerol (abn-CBG), cannabichromene (CBC), and cannabicitran (CBT). These were then evaluated for biological activity on colon cell models.

How did the tested cannabinoids affect cancer and normal colon cells?

Cannabinoids induced apoptosis in cancer cells by modulating mitochondrial dehydrogenase activity and cellular membrane integrity, and they also influenced cell cycle progression. They additionally affected antioxidant activity and were linked to nitric oxide (NO) production in both normal and cancerous colon cells.

Sep 21, 2026

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