Contents
Cannabidiol (CBD), a non-psychoactive component of hemp, may prove helpful in treating people infected with the coronavirus. Scientists have shown that it reduces inflammation in the lungs, which causes death in some COVID-19 patients.
Scientists from the Dental College of Georgia and the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta (Georgia, USA) emphasize that clinical trials are still needed to determine the optimal dose and timing of cannabidiol administration in COVID-19 patients with symptoms of respiratory failure. However, their research to date, published in Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research, indicates that administering CBD to this group of patients would avoid the use of very invasive therapies, such as mechanical ventilation, and would also prevent deaths from acute respiratory distress syndrome.
“Acute respiratory distress syndrome is the primary killer in severe cases of certain respiratory viral infections, including SARS-CoV-2 infection, and we urgently need to develop better interventions and therapies,” commented co-author immunologist Dr. Babak Baban.
Some COVID-19 patients develop an excessive, very strong reaction of the immune system to infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus. It is accompanied by the so-called cytokine storm, i.e. excessive secretion of cytokines (e.g. interleukin 6), proteins that stimulate immune cells to specific actions. The result is severe inflammation that destroys lung tissue and leads to acute respiratory failure.
Do you want to check how hemp oil works? Try EKO hemp seed oil or Oleiq product available on Medonet Market at attractive prices.
Mechanical ventilation can replace the functioning of the lungs for a time and allow them to regenerate after injury. However, statistics show that 30-50 percent. patients who require mechanical ventilation die.
Research on the cannabis component in patients with COVID-19
The latest research was conducted in a mouse model that mimics the lung damage that occurs in COVID-19. However, scientists did not infect SARS-CoV-2 mice, but administered intranasally three times a day a dose of synthetic double-stranded RNA – POLY (I: C).
The presence of double-stranded RNA in both humans and mice strongly stimulates the activity of the immune system, because double-stranded RNA is the genetic material of some viruses. Toll-like 3 receptors (TRL3) are activated, which recognize double-stranded RNA and trigger the mechanisms of the innate (so-called non-specific) immune response. The reaction to POLY (I: C) develops an overreaction of the immune system and the classic symptoms of acute respiratory failure.
Two hours after the second dose of POLY (I: C), the rodents were injected with CBD. Cannabidiol was administered to them for three consecutive days.
It turned out that the cannabis component reduced the level of pro-inflammatory cytokines (interleukin 6) and the body temperature, which increases with a strong inflammation, and at the same time improved blood oxygenation in mice. As a result, the damage to the lung structure, such as tissue overgrowth and fibrosis, resolved – completely or partially.
- Editors recommend: What happens in the lungs of COVID-19 patients? Explains the pulmonologist
– Our laboratory research shows that CBD can help the lungs recover from excessive inflammation, the so-called a cytokine storm caused by COVID-19 and restore healthier oxygen levels in the body, commented co-author Dr Jack Yu.
Scientists speculate that CBD may suppress the immune system response because it is similar to the naturally occurring cannabinoids (called endocannabinoids) in our body. These compounds regulate many functions, including pain sensation, appetite, mood, and the functioning of the immune system. They work through the CB1 and CB2 receptors, which are present mainly in the cells of the nervous and respiratory systems.
At Medonet Market, you will find CBD oils with different levels of cannabidiol, incl. by Flowrolls or OpenHemp.
This may interest you:
- Half a year of the epidemic. How long will it take?
- Cheap drugs save the lives of critically ill COVID-19 patients
- Cardiologists warn: this could be a problem for up to 10 million convalescents