PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - KANITA POOMMARAPAN
AU  - PAISAL RUMMANEETHORN
AU  - ATTASIT SRISUBAT
AU  - NUNTAKAN SUWANPIDOKKUL
AU  - PETCHPAILIN LEENUTAPHONG
AU  - THAMTHIWAT NARARATWANCHAI
AU  - SIRADA SRIHIRUN
AU  - WANTHANEE PHETCHENGKAO
AU  - KANKANIT SURIYACHAN
AU  - SALUNYA TANCHAROEN
TI  - Gene Profiling of <em>Cannabis-sativa</em>-mediated Apoptosis in Human Melanoma Cells
AID  - 10.21873/anticanres.16269
DP  - 2023 Mar 01
TA  - Anticancer Research
PG  - 1221--1237
VI  - 43
IP  - 3
4099  - http://ar.iiarjournals.org/content/43/3/1221.short
4100  - http://ar.iiarjournals.org/content/43/3/1221.full
SO  - Anticancer Res2023 Mar 01; 43
AB  - Background/Aim: Malignant melanoma is an aggressive skin cancer, accounting for the majority of skin cancer deaths. Prognosis is often poor and finding effective treatment remains a challenge. Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) are main bioactive components of Cannabis sativa plant extracts that have been shown to exert anti-tumor effects. In this study, we aimed to perform gene expression analysis of human melanoma A375 cells following stimulation with C. sativa extracts. Materials and Methods: Gene expression profiles of A375 human melanoma and Vero (control) cell lines were evaluated by RNA sequencing and quantitative real-time PCR. Results: Flow cytometry showed that the THC+CBD cannabis fractions induced apoptosis on A375 cells. Induction of apoptosis was accompanied by a notable up-regulation of DNA damage inducible transcript 3 (DDIT), nerve growth factor receptor (NGFR), colony-stimulating factor 2 (CSF2), growth arrest and DNA damage inducible beta (GADD45B), and thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) genes and down-regulation of aryl hydrocarbon receptor nuclear translocator 2 (ARNT2), cyclin E2 (CCNE2), integrin subunit alpha 9 (ITGA9), proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and E2F transcription factor 1 (E2F1) genes. Treatment of A375 cells with the THC+CBD fraction inhibited the phosphorylation of ERK1/2 signaling pathway, which regulates melanoma cell proliferation. We showed that the THC+CBD combination disrupted melanoma cell migration. Conclusion: Use of C. sativa-derived extracts containing equal amounts of THC and CBD is proposed as a potential treatment of melanoma.