Photo: MLADEN ANTONOV / AFP / Getty Images
For: Real America News
Wednesday, November 6
Cannabis plant could provide elements to avoid COVID infections, according to a study
Two acids found in the cannabis plant, cannabigerolic acid or CBGA, and cannabidiolic acid or CBDA, could prevent the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 enter human cells, according to a laboratory study published in the Journal of Nature Products.
These compounds, identified by means of an innovative chemical screening technique by researchers at the University of Oregon (OSU), they would bind to virus proteins and block a substance that the pathogen uses to infect people. As reported, scientists have already carried out laboratory tests with the alpha and beta variants of COVID-19, but have not conducted human studies.
History of safe use in humans
“These cannabinoid acids are abundant in the cannabis plant and in many extracts thereof,” said study author Richard van Breemen, a researcher at OSU’s Center for Global Plant Cannabis Innovation.
“They are not controlled substances like THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, and they have a good safety profile in humans. And our research showed that cannabis plant compounds were equally effective against variants of SARS-CoV-2, including variant B.1.1.7, which was first detected in the UK, and variant B. 1.351, detected for the first time in South Africa”, he added.
Hemp, scientifically known as cannabis sativa, is used in all kinds of products, including food, cosmetics, body lotions and dietary supplements, among others. “These compounds, which can be taken orally, have a long history of safe use in humans,” confirms van Breemen. “They have the potential to prevent and treat coronavirus infection.”
Structure of SARS -CoV-2
SARS-CoV-2 is characterized by its protuberances in the form of crown on its outer surface and has RNA strands encoding its four major structural proteins (spike, envelope, membrane, and nucleocapsid) and 16 nonstructural proteins and several so-called accessory proteins, explains van Breemen.
According to the expert, each part of the cycle of infection and replication is a potential target for antiviral measures. The association of the receptor binding domain of the spike protein with the human cell surface receptor ACE2 is an especially critical step in this cycle.
Prevent and shorten the duration of the infection
This means that inhibitors of cell entry, such as cannabis acids, could be used, according to the scientist, to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection and also to shorten the duration of infection. infection by preventing virus particles from infecting human cells.
The components would thus bind to the spike proteins so that they cannot bind to the ACE2 enzyme, which is abundant in the outer membrane of endothelial cells in the lungs and other organs, explains the OSU expert, adding that the use of compounds that block the interaction between the virus and the receptor has already been shown be helpful in people with other infections viral, such as HIV-1 and hepatitis.
Similarly, Van Breemen said that resistant variants could still emerge amid widespread use of cannabinoids, but that the combination of vaccination and treatment with CBDA/CBGA should create a much more difficult environment for SARS-CoV-2.
(With information from DW )
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