A Novel tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) analog, 3,10,10-Trimethyl-1,2,3,4,4a,6,7,8,10,10a-decahydro-9-oxa-5-phenanthrenone (TDP), mitigates the decrease in cell viability in oxidatively-stressed osteosarcoma bone-like cell cultures, UMR 106-01 BSP (UMR cells)
Authors: CHOI SUNGYOUNG , JOSEPH EUGENE 
Published: May 2024

Cannabinoids have been extensively studied in the field of cancer research. Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) has shown promising results in influencing cellular proliferation and viability when used in association with other cannabinoids. However, not many studies have been done to explore the effect of THC analogs on osteosarcoma cells when used in concert with oxidative stressors like camptothecin (CPT). In this study, it was hypothesized that TDP would mitigate the oxidative effect of CPT on UMR cells. Briefly, synthesis of the novel THC analog, TDP, was attempted via a Knoevenagel condensation and a Diels-Alder reaction, using 1,3-cyclohexanediol dissolved in methanol and citronellal with ethylenediamine diacetic acid (EDDA) at a temperature of 60°C. UMR cells were routinely passaged, counted, plated in six-well culture plates at 480,000 cells/mL, then treated with 10-fold dilutions of TDP. The plates were incubated for 72 hours in a humidified incubator at 37 degrees Celsius with 5% carbon dioxide infusion. At the end of the experiment, the cells were routinely washed with HANKS buffered saline solution (HBSS), then counted using the Luna II Automated Cell Counter. In another experiment, designated cells were treated with different concentrations of CPT alone, while others were co-treated with different concentrations of TDP+CPT, following the protocol above. F test ANOVA was used to compare variances and all values in the results were expressed as means ± SD. The results from the attempted cannabinoid analog synthesis yielded an active novel THC analog, TDP. Serial dilutions treatment of the UMR cells with TDP alone showed its ability to decrease cell viability in a concentration-dependent manner. The treatment of the UMR cells with different concentrations of CPT alone resulted in a decrease in cell viability in a concentration-dependent manner. Co-treatment of the UMR cells with different concentrations of CPT+TDP showed that TDP was able to mitigate the effect of the oxidative stressor (CPT) on the UMR cell cultures. Moreover, the F Test ANOVA showed robust statistical significance (p values <0.05) regarding TDP’s ability to decrease the oxidative effect of CPT on UMR cells. Overall, the outcomes of this study suggest that active forms of THC analogs can be synthesized and tested in concert with oxidative stressors like CPT. This study opens the door to explore the mechanisms by which TDP exerts its effect on oxidatively-stressed cells and how it can possibly be used to prevent or mitigate the effect of oxidative stress on a variety of cells in culture. Moreover, the hopes of suggesting therapeutic uses of THC analogs, upon future mechanistic experimentations, is a goal. La Sierra University Title V Grant. This is the full abstract presented at the American Physiology Summit 2024 meeting and is only available in HTML format. There are no additional versions or additional content available for this abstract. Physiology was not involved in the peer review process.