Nikhil Prasad Fact checked by:Thailand Medical News Team Jan 20, 2026 1 hour, 58 minutes ago
Thailand Cannabis News: A new laboratory study has taken a close look at cannabidiol, commonly known as CBD, and its effects on kidney cancer cells, revealing both intriguing anticancer activity and significant limitations that may prevent its immediate use as a cancer treatment. The research was conducted by scientists from several Portuguese institutions, including Fernando Pessoa University, the University of Porto, and associated research laboratories in Porto, Portugal.
Laboratory research reveals CBD can damage kidney cancer cells but faces major real-world limitations.
Why Researchers Studied CBD and Kidney Cancer
CBD is a non-psychoactive compound derived from the cannabis plant and is already widely known for its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Over recent years, it has attracted attention for possible anticancer effects in several cancer types. However, kidney cancer, formally known as renal cell carcinoma, had not been thoroughly explored in this context. This
Thailand Cannabis News report highlights how researchers aimed to fill that gap by studying how CBD affects kidney cancer cells under controlled laboratory conditions.
How The Study Was Carried Out
The researchers exposed two types of human kidney cancer cells to varying doses of CBD and compared the results with non-cancerous kidney cells. Experiments were conducted both with and without serum, a protein-rich substance that mimics conditions inside the human body. The scientists measured cell survival, growth rates, and changes in harmful molecules known as reactive oxygen and nitrogen species, which play a role in cell stress and damage.
Key Findings Explained Simply
The study found that CBD reduced the survival and growth of kidney cancer cells in a dose-dependent manner, meaning higher doses caused greater effects. However, similar effects were also observed in healthy kidney cells, raising concerns about a lack of cancer selectivity. Another important discovery was that CBD worked far more strongly when serum was absent. When serum was present, CBD’s anticancer activity dropped sharply because most of the compound binds tightly to proteins, leaving less free CBD available to act on cells.
CBD also showed a two-phase effect on cellular stress. Initially, it reduced harmful molecules inside cells, acting like an antioxidant. Over time, however, these stress molecules increased, potentially contributing to cell damage and death. This shift suggests CBD places long-term stress on cancer cells, but not in a way that clearly spares healthy cells.
Why These Results Matter
Although the findings confirm that CBD can harm kidney cancer cells in the laboratory, the doses required were higher than what is realistically achieved in the human bloodstream. Clinical studies show that even very high oral CBD doses lead to much lower blood levels than those used in this research.
Conclusions
In conclusion, the study demonst
rates that CBD can interfere with kidney cancer cell survival and internal balance under laboratory conditions, mainly by affecting cell growth and oxidative stress. However, the lack of selectivity between cancerous and healthy kidney cells, the strong reduction of effectiveness in serum-rich conditions, and the need for very high concentrations significantly limit its immediate clinical relevance. Future research will need to focus on improved delivery methods, combination therapies, and more realistic biological models before CBD can be seriously considered as part of kidney cancer treatment strategies.
The study findings were published in the peer reviewed Journal of Clinical Medicine.
https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0383/15/2/792
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