The immunomodulatory effects of cannabidiol on Hsp70-activated NK cells and tumor target cells

Cannabidiol (CBD), the major non-psychoactive component of cannabis, exhibits anti-inflammatory properties, but less is known about the immunomodulatory potential of CBD on activated natural killer (NK) cells and/or their targets. Many tumor cells present heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) on their cell surface in a tumor-specific manner and although a membrane Hsp70 (mHsp70) positive phenotype serves as a target for Hsp70-activated NK cells, a high mHsp70 expression is associated with tumor aggressiveness. This study investigated the immuno-modulatory potential of CBD on NK cells stimulated with TKD Hsp70 peptide and IL-2 (TKD+IL-2) and also on HCT116 p53wt and HCT116 p53-/- colorectal cancer cells exhibiting high and low basal levels of mHsp70 expression.