CBD Disrupts Malme-3M Cell Metabolism via Glycolytic Shift and Redox Imbalance

Accumulating evidence suggests that cannabidiol (CBD) exerts variable effects on cancer cells that influence cellular activity, including growth. While anecdotal evidence abounds, mechanistic studies have lagged.

Malme-3M cells derived from melanoma and less-aggressive BJ fibroblast cells were incubated with CBD. CE-MS mass spectroscopy was used to measure metabolite changes resulting from CBD treatment.

Data indicate a differential response between malignant Malme-3M cells and BJ fibroblasts with respect to metabolites critical for primary metabolic function. A significant reduction in TCA metabolites is seen with a corresponding increase in glycolytic output in the Malme-3M cell line. A similar reduction in TCA activity in BJ fibroblasts appears to differentially activate fatty acid oxidation. ATP is significantly reduced in the Malme-3M cells with a corresponding decrease in metabolites associated with redox maintenance.

This is the first metabolomics analyses of malignant Malme-3M cells and less-aggressive BJ fibroblasts after pre-treatment with CBD. The data suggest that the CBD-induced metabolic perturbation could reprogram cellular metabolism and affect ATP production and redox maintenance of the more-aggressive Malme-3M cells.