Inhibition of Fatty Acid Amide Hydrolase Increases Rates of Apoptosis in Cell Line Models of DLBCL and Breast Cancer

Despite recent advances in cancer treatment, cancers with high heterogeneity such as DLBCL and breast cancer remain difficult to treat, with many patients having few treatment options. The endocannabinoid system has been identified as a potential wellspring of therapeutic agents that can potentially increase cell death and prevent metastasis. Since FAAH is a hydrolytic enzyme that degrades potentially therapeutic endocannabinoids, FAAH inhibitors were tested as apoptosis inducing agents based on their ability to prevent endocannabinoid degradation. In this study, multiple human DLBCL and breast cancer cell lines were treated with FAAH inhibitors, then tested for apoptosis via flow cytometry or with MTT viability testing. DLBCL lines treated with FAAH inhibitors induced apoptosis at dramatically higher rates than vehicle control, and breast cancer cell lines show potential for use of FAAH inhibitors to dramatically decrease cell viability. FAAH inhibition may prove useful as a combination therapeutic for DLBCL or breast cancer.