The explosion of death

Winner in iHealth cluster category

Author: Sonia Hernández Tiedra

Research group: Grupo de señalización por cannabinoides

Departament: Bioquímica y Biología Molecular I

Centre: Facultad de Ciencias Químicas (UCM)

Description: This video illustrates the lethal effect of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC), the active compound of marijuana, on HeLa cells of cervical cancer. This cell line has the distinction of being stably transfected with two fluorescent proteins, one green (LimpII) marker of lysosomes, and the other in red (subunit VIII of cytochrome c oxidase) marker of the mitochondria. It can be observed that, after addition of Δ9-THC on these cells, mitochondrias (the cell energy organelles par excellence) labeled in red, start to swell until they explode causing the inevitable tumor cell death.

Source: Campus Moncloa Outreach Awards