Abstract
Cannabinoids are novel secondary metabolites identified only in Cannabis sativa. Among these, THC and THCA are well known to show novel pharmacological properties including psychoactive and analgesic effects, and therefore have attracted a large attention. Here we show that the cannabinoids THCA and CBCA regulate cell death in C. sativa.
THCA and CBCA are stored in glands on the lower surface of Cananbis leaves. In response to ageing, these cannabinoids leaked from the glands into leaf tissues. Because THCA and CBCA possess the cell death activity for Cannabis cells, the leaf tissues exposed to these cannabinoids caused cell death. When we investigated the mechanism of cell death catalyzed by THCA and CBCA, we found that both cannabinoids induced apoptosis-like cell death. This apoptosis was inhibited by neither ascorbic acid nor caspase inhibitor, indicating that THCA and CBCA induce cell death, independently of hydrogen peroxide and caspase-like proteases.
