According to a Canadian study, some components of cannabis can prevent the coronavirus from attacking human cells.
Researchers from the University of Lethbridge affirm that marijuana, specifically the Cannabis sativa variety, could be used as a complementary and preventive therapy against coronavirus infection. The study is in pre-publication (like many related to possible COVID-19 treatments) so the results should be interpreted with caution.
Attention: this does not mean that coronavirus can be cured by smoking marijuana. In the words of Igor Kovalchuk, biologist and author of the study, “these discoveries will not lead us to find a vaccine but will lead us to develop other weapons against COVID-19.”
For the study, they screened 400 strains of marijuana, of which only 12 gave results, preventing the virus from entering the cells of three-dimensional models of human tissue. The coronavirus enters the body's cells using a receptor on their membrane known as ACE2 (Angiotensin Converting Enzyme II).
The ACE2 receptor is found in the cells of the lungs, kidneys, testicles, the intestinal tract and in the mucosa of the nose and mouth. The marijuana strains investigated in the study managed to reduce the number of active ACE2 receptors by 73%.
According to researchers, some cannabinoids present in Cannabis sativa, specifically the well-known CBD (cannabidiol), are what deactivate these receptors, making cells less vulnerable to the virus.
Cannabinoids are chemical compounds found in the marijuana plant and are responsible for its effects on the brain. The best known cannabinoid is THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) for its psychoactive effects. It is the cannabinoid that "gets you high" when smoking marijuana or its resin.
CBD does not have psychotropic effects, but it has long been used as a complementary therapy in epilepsy or chronic pain, among other ailments. It is precisely CBD that has shown the most promising effects against the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus.
Kovalchuk states that this work can have a great influence, since there are not many drugs that can reduce virus infection by such a high percentage, between 70 and 80%.
Israeli researchers have also begun clinical trials with CBD with the goal of repairing cells damaged by COVID-19. In addition, it is believed that CBD could improve the effect of steroids, used in this type of treatment in seriously ill patients, and strengthen the immune system.
REFERENCES
In Search of Preventative Strategies: Novel AntiInflammatory High-CBD Cannabis Sativa Extracts Modulate ACE2 Expression in COVID-19 Gateway Tissues
FOUNTAIN
QUO Magazine, May 2020.
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