Nigerian Scientist, Metibemu, Others, Conduct Research on Cannabis sativa, Confirm Demonstration of anti-liver Cancer Potentials
A Nigerian scientist, Dr Damilohun Samuel Metibemu, and other scholars have explored the effects of Cannabis sativa, with a conclusion on its demonstration of anti-liver cancer potential.
In an interview with our correspondent, Metibemu, who is a post-doctoral research associate at the Department of Chemistry, Jackson State University, United States, disclosed that the study, titled, “Cannabis sativa demonstrates
anti-hepatocellular carcinoma potentials in animal model: in silico and in vivo studies
of the involvement of Akt”, used cannabis sativa extract to treat Wister rats induced with hepatocarcinomas (liver cancer).
According to Metibemu, “Cannabis sativa L. has been one of the oldest medicinal plants cultivated for 10,000 years for agricultural and industrial applications.
“However, the plant became controversial due to psychoactive components that harm human health. It is a multi-purpose crop plant with diverse agricultural and industrial applications ranging from the production of paper, wood, and fiber, to potential use in the medicinal and pharmaceutical industries.
“The first-ever report to reveal the prospects of C. sativa L (Cannabis sativa), as a medicinal plant was published in 1843 and it described the use of plant extracts to treat patients suffering from tetanus, hydrophobia, and cholera.
“Cultivation and use of cannabis plants for recreational, medical, and industrial use were strictly banned and severely limited scientific research in the field. Owing to strict legal regulations, the plant remained unexplored for its incredible potential in drug discovery for an extended period. It was legalised for medical use first in California and later in many countries around the globe.”
He noted that the report, which was sponsored by Colorado State University, Pablo, was published in the Journal of Cannabis Research of Biomed Central (BMC) on July 12, 2023, and was revealed in it that dried cannabis sativa leaves were obtained with permission of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Abeokuta, Nigeria.
Metibemu, who is a corresponding author of the report, had Professor Oluseyi Akinloye, as the team lead, and a team of others researchers that comprise Dr Dorcas Akinloye, Mujidat T. Shittu, Mariam A. Lawal, Faith O. Olatunji, and Muideen A. Oyediran.
He obtained a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) in Biochemistry from the University of Ilorin, a Master of Science (M.Sc.) in Biochemistry from the University of Ibadan, and a doctorate degree in Biochemistry from the Federal University of Agriculture Abeokuta.
His work involves the investigation of natural products for the treatment and cure of cancer. According to him, one of his findings regarding cancer treatment using indigenous Nigerian plants is already in the clinical trial phase with a very favorable prognosis for breast cancer.
“In my role as a medicinal and synthetic chemist, I am currently involved with the development of drugs for neglected tropical diseases and alphaviruses,” he hinted.
He explained further that he and his colleagues delved into using various techniques including computational methods to show that cannabis sativa extract exerts its anti-hepatocarcinoma potential via the protein kinase B (Akt) pathway, wherein, “the effects of the extract treatments on the Wistar rat model of hepatocellular carcinoma were assessed by one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) of the treated and untreated groups”.
He, however, stated that clinical trials with cancer patients have not been conducted despite preclinical research showing the clinical efficacy of Cannabis sativa.
“Therefore, before making any conclusions about the use of Cannabis sativa for the treatment of cancer, it is essential to examine the results of prospective and randomised studies on the subject,” he added.
