First Advisor

Hyslot, Richard M.

Date Created

8-2018

Abstract

Cannabinoids have been used throughout history as medical treatments spanning from menstrual cramps in ancient China to enhancing appetite in patients with AIDS or cancer in the modern day. Currently there is research indicating that cannabinoids also have anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic effects on several strains of cancer cells (Carchman, Harris, & Munson, 1976; Glodde, Jakobs, Bald, Tüting, & Gaffal, 2015; McKallip et al., 2002; Preet, Ganju, & Groopman, 2008; Sánchez, Galve-Roperh, Canova, Brachet, & Guzmán, 1998). The traditional methods for administration of cannabinoids are inhalation or oral; however, for some cannabinoids these may result in undesirable psychoactive side effects. Cell-in-a-Box® technology can be used to develop a new administration process for cannabinoids to avoid these. In theory, it involves administering a cannabinoid pro-drug, which is then activated at the site of the cancer cells via Cell-in-a-Box® encapsulated live cells containing specific enzymes. This administration process is dependent upon the enzymatic activation of the cannabinoid pro-drug. Thus, this study focused on determining a cell line capable of producing an enzyme, which can complete this activation. Five assays of Pseudomonas putida were conducted, each showing that the putida was not able to activate the specific cannabinoid pro-drug tested. Future research of other cell lines will be needed to complete this novel anti-cancer drug delivery system. Additionally, in this study, two methods of producing crude cannabinoid extracts from Cannabis sativa plant were developed along with two methods of purifying tetrahydrocannabinolic acid from the crude extracts.

Extent

136 pages

Local Identifiers

MargiottaThesis2018.pdf

Rights Statement

Copyright is held by the author.

Download

Share

COinS