Acute anti-proliferative and anti-migratory effects of cannabidiol on C6 rat glioma, SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma, and HT22 mouse hippocampal neuronal cell cultures

Background The treatment of central nervous system tumors remains challenging owing to their highly proliferative nature, aggressiveness, and poor prognosis. Additionally, existing treatment methods have several problems, including high risk of complications, systemic side effects, and impact on patients’ quality of life. Recently, cannabidiol (CBD), a non-psychoactive cannabinoid found in Cannabis sativa , has emerged as an alternative therapeutic medication because of its potential antitumor activity with fewer side effects. Methods We evaluated the cell viability, clonogenicity, migration, apoptotic nuclear morphology, and cell cycle phases of C6 rat glioma, SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma, and HT22 immortalized mouse hippocampus neuronal cultures treated with CBD ranged between 0 and 10 μg/mL. Results CBD concentrations exceeding 5 μg/mL induced significant reductions in cell viability in C6 glioma and SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cultures, accompanied by decreased clonogenicity in both cultures at 10 μg/mL. A scratch assay for cell migration revealed that 5 μg/mL CBD suppressed C6 glioma cell migration. Additionally, late apoptotic nuclear morphology was observed in C6 glioma cultures treated with 10 μg/mL cannabidiol. Similarly, HT22 hippocampal neuronal cultures exhibited decreased cell viability and clonogenicity, with apparent nuclear signs of apoptosis at CBD concentrations over 5 μg/mL. Notably, CBD disrupted HT22 cell migration at concentrations of 2.5 and 5 μg/mL. Proteomic profiling of C6 glioma revealed upregulation of ribosomal proteins, molecular chaperones, and modulators of cytoskeletal dynamics upon treatment with 1 μg/mL CBD. In comparison, treatment with 2.5 μg/mL CBD led to marked downregulation of endoplasmic reticulum chaperones, mitochondrial ATP synthase, and cytoskeletal regulators. Conclusion Our findings confirm the sensitivity of glioma, neuroblastoma, and hippocampal neuronal cultures to CBD, providing valuable insights for further research into its therapeutic potential against glioma, neuroblastoma, and neuronal disorders.