Sunday, September 23, 2012

Cannabidiol as a novel inhibitor of Id-1 gene expression in aggressive breast cancer cells

Cannabidiol as a novel inhibitor of Id-1 gen... [Mol Cancer Ther. 2007] - PubMed - NCBI

Source

California Pacific Medical Center, Research Institute, 475 Brannan Street, San Francisco, CA 94107, USA. mcallis@cpmcri.org

Abstract

Invasion and metastasis of aggressive breast cancer cells is the final and fatal step during cancer progression, and is the least understood genetically. Clinically, there are still limited therapeutic interventions for aggressive and metastatic breast cancers available. Clearly, effective and nontoxic therapies are urgently required. Id-1, an inhibitor of basic helix-loop-helix transcription factors, has recently been shown to be a key regulator of the metastatic potential of breast and additional cancers. Using a mouse model, we previously determined that metastatic breast cancer cells became significantly less invasive in vitro and less metastatic in vivo when Id-1 was down-regulated by stable transduction with antisense Id-1. It is not possible at this point, however, to use antisense technology to reduce Id-1 expression in patients with metastatic breast cancer. Here, we report that cannabidiol (CBD), a cannabinoid with a low-toxicity profile, could down-regulate Id-1 expression in aggressive human breast cancer cells. The CBD concentrations effective at inhibiting Id-1 expression correlated with those used to inhibit the proliferative and invasive phenotype of breast cancer cells. CBD was able to inhibit Id-1 expression at the mRNA and protein level in a concentration-dependent fashion. These effects seemed to occur as the result of an inhibition of the Id-1 gene at the promoter level. Importantly, CBD did not inhibit invasiveness in cells that ectopically expressed Id-1. In conclusion, CBD represents the first nontoxic exogenous agent that can significantly decrease Id-1 expression in metastatic breast cancer cells leading to the down-regulation of tumor aggressiveness.


Saturday, September 15, 2012

Support the Half the Sky Movement

Singer-songwriter Gemma Hayes -

"For a long time when I would see or experience for myself the absolute unfair treatment of women in society I would become overwhelmed by a sense of hopelessness. Part of me would want to stand up and shout 'stop' but I felt small and unheard. Once I heard of the Half The Sky Movement I gave a sigh of relief. Its members are proactive about waking society up in a positive way and it is making a difference. It's a real honor to contribute my song "Sorrow be Gone" to the 30 songs 30 days campaign. I chose to contribute this song because it deals with a woman moving forward in her life even when the very wind is pushing her backwards. She still moves forward. She carries the sorrow of all she is denied but she knows the sadness will leave one day."
Support the Half the Sky Movement:
Hidden in the overlapping problems of sex trafficking and forced prostitution, gender-based violence, and maternal mortality is the single most vital opportunity of our time — and women are seizing it. From Somaliland to Cambodia to Afghanistan, women's oppression is being confronted head on and real, meaningful solutions are being fashioned. Change is happening, and it’s happening now.