Researchers have discovered that cannabidiol (CBD), a component of cannabis, may aid in the prevention of infection with the COVID-19.
CBD, a Cannabis compound, has shown encouraging benefits in laboratory tests; nevertheless, further research is a must to create a tangible outcome, as the potential effect tests are yet to happen on humans.
Many prospective COVID-19 treatments have shown promise in test tubes. But they then failed to work or benefit researchers during COVID-19 investigations and trials.
The findings will offer a “strong case” for trials, according to Marsha Rosner of the University of Chicago. She headed research that discovered CBD might help limit Covid infection in laboratory testing.
She said as quoted by Reuters: “Our findings do not say this will work in patients. Our findings make a strong case for a clinical trial.”
“That’s really our mantra: We want a clinical trial”
The finding should not be interpreted as a recommendation to buy and consume CBD oils or smoke cannabis to prevent coronavirus infection because tests are yet to happen on humans.
Rosner and colleagues discovered that using small doses of highly purified CBD, similar to what patients would receive in an oral medicine already approved for severe epilepsy; CBD could not prevent the coronavirus from infecting cells in test tubes.
The scientists discovered that CBD functioned immediately after the virus entered the cells, according to a report in Science Advances. It also prevented it from replicating itself, thanks to effects on the inflammatory protein interferon. Infected mice had comparable symptoms.
“We don’t know yet if CBD can prevent COVID. But we think our results provide a strong case for conducting a clinical trial. That’s really our mantra: We want a clinical trial,” Rosner told Live Science.
Covid instances have exploded in recent days; especially since the discovery of Omicron, a ‘variant of concern’ discovered in November of last year.
“Our results suggest that CBD and its metabolite 7-OH-CBD can block SARS-CoV-2 infection at early and even later stages of infection. The mechanism appears to be mediated in part by activation of the IRE1α RNase and interferon pathways”. A part of the study read.
“In addition to these cell-based findings, pre-clinical studies show that CBD treatment reduced viral titers in the lungs and nasal turbinates of SARS-CoV-2-infected mice. Finally, analysis of a national sample of patients with active records of 100 mg/ml CBD consumption at the time of COVID testing revealed an association with substantially fewer SARS-CoV-2 positive test results,” it added.