Anti-cancer effect of cannabigerol, a cannabis compound, on DU145 and PC3 human prostate cancer cell lines

Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer type in the world and in our country. Methods such as radiotherapy, chemotherapy or hormonotherapy are used for treatment. However, in metastatic cancers, these treatments are inadequate. Therefore, developing new and alternative therapies has become important. The cannabis plant has been used in different areas for many years. Its use in medicine dates back to 3200 years before Christ. Although it was ignored for many years due to its narcotic effects, research on hemp has gained importance in recent years. It has been shown in many studies that especially the phytocannabinoids it contains are good for many diseases, including cancer. Cannabigerol (CBG) is a phytocannabinoid that has no narcotic effects. For this reason, there has been an increase in research on this molecule in recent years. Its effect on many diseases such as Alzheimer, Parkinson or colitis has been shown in the recent studies. In addition, the capacity of CBG to inhibit different types of cancer was demonstrated. However, the effect on prostate cancer has not been extensively studied. Accordingly, in this thesis, the anti-cancer effect of CBG on DU145 and PC3 metastatic prostate cancer cell lines was investigated. In order to increase the specificity and reliability of our study, a normal prostate cell line (PNT1A) was used as a control. The cytotoxicity tests show that CBG specifically eliminate DU145 and PC3 cells more than the routinely used chemotherapeutic agent. In addition, results obtained from immunostaining and DNA fragmentation experiments show that this cell death occurs through the mechanism of apoptosis. Finally, two- and three-dimensional migration tests showed that CBG could inhibit the migration capacity of metastatic cancer cells. Finally, the fact that CBG inhibits proliferation, triggers apoptosis and reduces the metastasis capacity of prostate cancer cells indicates that this component may be a potential therapeutic in the near future.