CBD and hematopoietic transplantation
CBD and improved therapeutic outcome
Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is a technique that allows a large number of patients suffering from serious diseases to be treated. Stem cell transplants are performed to treat cancers such as lymphoma, leukemia and neuroblastoma. They can also be used after chemotherapy or radiotherapy to restore the marrow.
What is a hematopoietic stem cell transplant ?
Stem cell transplantation is a process that involves taking stem cells (which are cells that have not yet specialized) from a healthy person and then transplanting them by injection into a person with a serious illness. The stem cells collected can be obtained from :
- Bone marrow (bone marrow stem cells)
- Blood (peripheral stem cells)
- A baby's umbilical cord
What is a stem cell ?
A stem cell is a so-called undifferentiated cell. It is able to multiply infinitely and specialize in one particular cell type among more than 200 (nerve, heart, muscle, skin, blood, etc.). These are the stem cells that, at the beginning of life, will allow the entire constitution of a small human being. There are 3 types of stem cells :
- Multipotent stem cells : they can produce one or more types of cells.
- The unipotent stem cells : they will give birth to only one type of cell.
- The induced pluripotent stem cells : coming from an adult person and reprogrammed into pluripotent cells.
What happens after transplantation ?
After disease or cancer treatment, the marrow is sometimes damaged or destroyed. The production of blood cells is then insufficient or non-existent. This is where the transplanted cells will come in to support the bone marrow in the production of new cells. Once the transplanted cells reach the bone marrow, they begin to multiply, producing new blood cells. During the first few weeks after the transplant, the patient remains hospitalized, as he or she may be more vulnerable.
CBD and hematopoietic transplantation
Cannabidiol (CBD) is a substance from the Cannabis Sativa plant, also known as industrial hemp. The CBD is the subject of much research as its therapeutic potential is great. Here is the result of a research concerning the use of CBD during hematopoietic transplantation :
- In 2015, a study conducted in Israel on 48 adult patients who had undergone a hematopoietic transplant showed the beneficial effects of CBD (cannabidiol), reducing the complications so feared in this type of intervention. Treatment began 7 days prior to transplantation and continued for another 29 days. After 16 months, none of the transplant recipients developed graft rejection.