Abstract

Cannabidiol (CBD) has anti-tumorigenic activity. However, the anti-cancer effect of CBD on head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) remains unclear. The cytotoxicity of CBD on HNSCC was analyzed using cell survival and colony-forming assays in vitro. RNA-seq was used for determining the mechanism underlying CBD-induced cell death. Xenograft mouse models were used to determine CBD’s effects in vivo. CBD treatment significantly reduced migration/invasion and viability of HNSCC cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner. HNSCC mouse xenograft models revealed anti-tumor effects of CBD. Furthermore, combinational treatment with CBD enhanced the efficacy of chemotherapy drugs. Apoptosis and autophagy processes were involved in CBD-induced cytotoxicity of HNSCCs. RNA-seq identified decreased expression of genes associated with DNA repair, cell division, and cell proliferation, which were involved in CBD-mediated cytotoxicity toward HNSCCs. We identified CBD as a new potential anti-cancer compound for single or combination therapy of HNSCC.

Details

Title
Cannabidiol enhances cytotoxicity of anti-cancer drugs in human head and neck squamous cell carcinoma
Author
Go Yoon Young 1 ; Kim Su Ra 2 ; Kim Do Yeon 2 ; Sung-Won, Chae 2 ; Jae-Jun, Song 1 

 Korea University Guro Hospital, Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Seoul, South Korea (GRID:grid.411134.2) (ISNI:0000 0004 0474 0479); Korea University Guro Hospital, Institute for Health Care Convergence Center, Seoul, Republic of Korea (GRID:grid.411134.2) (ISNI:0000 0004 0474 0479) 
 Korea University Guro Hospital, Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Seoul, South Korea (GRID:grid.411134.2) (ISNI:0000 0004 0474 0479) 
Publication year
2020
Publication date
2020
Publisher
Nature Publishing Group
e-ISSN
20452322
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
2473273124
Copyright
© The Author(s) 2020. This work is published under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.