Some hashish compounds can forestall the virus that causes COVID-19 from entering human cells — however smoking marijuana gives no safety in opposition to the sickness, in response to a study by Oregon State University.
The researchers discovered {that a} pair of hemp compounds — cannabigerolic acid, or CBGA, and cannabidiolic acid, CBDA — bind to the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, blocking an important step within the lethal bug’s path to contaminate individuals.
“These cannabinoid acids are abundant in hemp and in many hemp extracts,” mentioned lead researcher Richard van Breemen at Oregon State’s Global Hemp Innovation Center within the College of Pharmacy and Linus Pauling Institute, KTVZ reported.
“They are not controlled substances like THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, and have a good safety profile in humans,” he mentioned.
“And our research showed the hemp compounds were equally effective against variants of SARS-CoV-2, including variant B.1.1.7, which was first detected in the United Kingdom, and variant B.1.351, first detected in South Africa,” Breemen added.
Findings of the study — which was carried out in collaboration with scientists on the Oregon Health & Science University — have been printed Monday by the Journal of Natural Products.
CBGA and CBDA bind to the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, blocking an important step within the lethal bug’s path to contaminate individuals.Richard B. van Breemen/American Chemical Society
“Orally bioavailable and with a long history of safe human use, these cannabinoids, isolated or in hemp extracts, have the potential to prevent as well as treat infection by SARS-CoV-2,” the researchers wrote.
“CBDA and CBGA are produced by the hemp plant as precursors to CBD and CBG, which are familiar to many consumers. However, they are different from the acids and are not contained in hemp products,” van Breemen mentioned.
He, Ruth Muchiro of the College of Pharmacy and Linus Pauling Institute and 5 OHSU scientists recognized the 2 cannabinoid acids utilizing a mass spectrometry-based screening approach invented in van Breemen’s lab, in response to KTVZ.
His group screened quite a lot of botanicals used as dietary dietary supplements together with pink clover, wild yam, hops and three species of licorice, in response to the information outlet.
Van Breemen famous the mixture of vaccines and CBDA/CBGA therapy ought to make it harder for the bug to contaminate individuals.NIAID-RML by way of AP
“One of the primary concerns in the pandemic is the spread of variants, of which there are many, and B.1.1.7 and B.1.351 are among the most widespread and concerning,” van Breemen mentioned.
“These variants are well known for evading antibodies against early lineage SARS-CoV-2, which is obviously concerning given that current vaccination strategies rely on the early lineage spike protein as an antigen,” he continued.
“Our data show CBDA and CBGA are effective against the two variants we looked at, and we hope that trend will extend to other existing and future variants,” he added.
Van Breemen famous that resistant variants may nonetheless emerge amid widespread use of cannabinoids however that the mixture of vaccines and CBDA/CBGA therapy ought to make it harder for the bug to contaminate individuals.
“Our earlier research reported on the discovery of another compound, one from licorice, that binds to the spike protein too,” he reportedly mentioned. “However, we did not test that compound, licochalcone A, for activity against the live virus yet. We need new funding for that.”
But don’t plan on smoking weed to keep off the sickness.
“The benefit for preventing viral infection of cells must come from cannabinoid acids, which are heat sensitive and must not be smoked, or it would convert them to CBD and so forth,” van Breemen mentioned. “So that wouldn’t work for the antiviral effect.”
