The Levels of the Endocannabinoid Receptor CB2 and Its Ligand 2-Arachidonoylglycerol Are Elevated in Endometrial Carcinoma

The endocannabinoid system plays protective roles against the growth and the spreading of several types of carcinomas. Because estrogens regulate this system both in physiological states and cancer, in this paper we evaluated its involvement in endometrial carcinoma, a well-known estrogen-dependant tumor. To test whether the endocannabinoid system is expressed in endometrial cancer, tissue samples were collected both from 18 patients undergoing surgical treatment for endometrial adenocarcinoma and 16 healthy age-matched controls, and treated for Western blot and immunohistochemical analysis. Moreover, tissues were dounce homogenized and submitted to endocannabinoid measurement by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. To evaluate the physiological role of the endocannabinoid system, a human endometrial cancer cell-line (AN3CA) was used and transiently transfected with a plasmid containing the cDNA for the endocannabinoid receptor CB2. Cells were incubated for 48 h with an agonist (JWH133) (10 μm) or ant...