Research results showed that combining cannabidiol (CBD), the main component of medical cannabis, with chemical chemotherapy induces death of lung cancer cells. CBD extracted from the cannabis flower and leaves has been reported in multiple studies to relieve pain and suppress excessive excitation without addictive effects, and to be effective for epilepsy, cancer, Parkinson's disease, dementia and depression.
NeoCannBio said on the 8th that cell experiments confirmed the therapeutic effect of a combination therapy of CBD and the chemical chemotherapy agent etoposide on non-small cell lung cancer. Lung cancer is classified as small cell lung cancer when cancer cells are small and non-small cell lung cancer when they are large. Non-small cell cancer accounts for 70 to 80% of all lung cancers.
NeoCannBio, a technology spin-off of the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), is promoting active pharmaceutical ingredient production and drug development. The results of this joint study with KIST researchers Young-Joo Kim and Tae-Jeong Kim and Choi Kyung-chul, professor in the Department of Pharmacology at Asan Medical Center in Seoul, were published in the May online issue of Experimental & Molecular Medicine, a sister journal of Nature.
According to the research team, the cell experiment showed that combined administration of CBD and etoposide greatly reduced the survival rate of non-small cell lung cancer cells. This is the result of the two drugs blocking activation of the signaling pathway (PI3K-AKT-mTOR) involved in cell growth and protein production. The researchers also found that this effect varies depending on the status of the anti-cancer gene "p53 gene," which prevents abnormal cell proliferation and mutations and induces cancer cell death.
They also demonstrated that CBD produces a combined anti-cancer effect in a new way, independent of traditional cannabinoid receptors or TRP channels, a representative protein that senses temperature. The CBD and etoposide combination therapy induced autophagic cell death in non-small cell lung cancers with normal p53 genes and inhibited oncogenic pathways to enhance therapeutic efficacy. If developed as a CBD therapeutic, a new oral anticancer drug could emerge.
The research team is conducting multiple studies to confirm therapeutic efficacy by combining etoposide and other anticancer drugs for various cancer types, including liver cancer and colon cancer, in addition to non-small cell lung cancer. In particular, combination therapy for liver cancer is also undergoing animal experiments. Results from ongoing studies will be disclosed in future papers.
Earlier, NeoCannBio reported in 2023 in the international journal Cancers that combining CBD with the anticancer drug cabozantinib produced an anticancer synergistic effect against liver cancer cells.
Ham Jeong-yeop, CEO of NeoCannBio, said the company obtained important research results that can be used in pharmaceuticals by utilizing CBD, the main medical cannabis component and a non-psychoactive compound, and will actively pursue additional research on combination therapy. He said the company will build a cooperation network with domestic and foreign research institutes and pharmaceutical companies to expand its active pharmaceutical ingredient business for entry into the global medical cannabis market, projected at about 109 trillion won by 2027.
References
Experimental & Molecular Medicine(2025), DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s12276-025-01444-x