A recent study was published by Kiattawee Chowongkomon's team at Kasetsart University in Thailand. The study is called "Cannabinoids as Promising Inhibitors of HER2-Tyrosine Kinase: A New Way to Target HER2-Positive Ovarian Cancer". The study suggests that cannabinoids, especially CBD and CBG, could be good options as alternative or additional treatments for HER2-positive cancers. These cannabinoids could help reduce drug resistance and negative side effects.
The study evaluated the effectiveness of cannabidiol (CBD), cannabigerol (CBG), and cannabinol (CBN) on HER2-positive ovarian cancer using a method called "kinase inhibition assay, Nicoya OpenSPR," and found that CBD and CBG strongly bind to and block the action of HER2-TK.
HER2-positive cancers (e.g., breast cancer, ovarian cancer) are very aggressive and often spread, due to the HER2 receptor being abnormally active. These cancers make up about 15%-20% of breast cancer cases.8 Standard treatments use monoclonal antibodies (e.g., trastuzumab) and tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs, e.g., lapatinib), but these treatments often don't work well because of resistance. Around 50% of patients develop HER2 mutations or bypass signaling activation after treatment, which leads to disease progression.
In recent years, natural products have gained attention for their ability to target multiple issues and for being relatively safe. Some natural products, like cannabinoids (CBD, CBG), have shown anti-inflammatory and pro-apoptotic potential in small studies, but we don't fully understand how they act on HER2 targets. This study is the first to systematically assess the binding properties of cannabinoids to HER2-TK and explore their potential as new inhibitors.
SPR technology plays a key role in many areas, from studying how molecules interact to using data to make decisions.
The team used a tool called Nicoya OpenSPR to study how well CBD, CBG, CBN, and afatinib (a common TKI) bind to HER2-TK. The results were surprising: CBD strongly binds to HER2-TK, with a dissociation constant of only 6.16 μM, which is much higher than that of afatinib. CBG also performs well, with a dissociation constant of 17.07 μM, and has a moderate binding affinity. This suggests that CBD and CBG can firmly capture HER2-TK, which could help stop cancer cells from growing.
CBD (Cannabidiol, Cannabidiol) Molecular Weight: 314.46 g/mol
CBG (Cannabigerol, Cannabis Terpene Glycol) Molecular Weight: 316.47 g/mol
CBN (Cannabinol, Cannabinol) Molecular Weight: 310.43 g/mol
Afatinib (Afatinib, control molecule) Molecular Weight: 485.93 g/mol
From the perspective of how well they can inhibit certain proteins, tests showed that CBG and CBD can effectively stop the activity of HER2-TK. Combined with the molecular docking studies that revealed the interaction of cannabinoids with key parts of HER2 - TK (Leu796, Thr862, Asp863), these results show how cannabinoids can have anticancer effects. They do this by interacting with HER2 - TK, inhibiting its kinase activity, and blocking the signaling pathway.
In summary, these results suggest that cannabinoids, especially CBD and CBG, have a lot of potential in the treatment of HER2-positive cancers. They can be used as alternatives or in addition to conventional treatments to help patients reduce resistance to these treatments and minimize side effects. However, the research is still in its early stages. More studies are needed in the future. These studies should clarify the precise mechanisms by which cannabinoids work. They should also explore how to optimize the combination regimen. In addition, clinical trials should be conducted to validate their safety and efficacy.
This study creates new ideas for treating HER2-positive cancers with SPR technology and other tools. In the future, we hope to use cannabinoids in clinical treatments, which could give cancer patients new hope and new life.