CBD Oil Blocks Sars-CoV-2 Infection

ICCN Clinical Report

From: Journal of Natural Products 2022

TAKE-HOME MESSAGE

  • Naturally occurring products frequently form the basis of drug therapies that are available today.
  • In this study, CBD oil was found to block the capacity for Sars-CoV-2 to enter human cells, providing a mechanism for prevention and therapeusis
  • To identify small molecule therapeutic agents, affinity selection-mass spectrometry was used to discover botanical ligands to Sars-CoV-2 spike protein
  • Cannabigerolic acid (CBGA) and cannabidiolic acid (CBDA) compounds found in CBD oil were found to prevent infection in human epithelial cells by SARS-CoV-2.
  • Further testing shows that CBDA and CBGA had neutralizing effect on infected cells.  SARS-CoV-2 variants B117 and B1351 were studied. Additional focus forming assays demonstrated effective blocking of virus infection by variants.
  • Volunteers were tested with oral administration of .063mg/kg of CBDA equal to 5.71 mg for a 200lb person. 

Abstract

SARS-CoV-2

ABSTRACT: As a complement to vaccines, small-molecule therapeutic agents are needed to treat or prevent infections by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) and its variants, which cause COVID-19. Affinity selection−mass spectrometry was used for the discovery of botanical ligands to the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. Cannabinoid acids from hemp (Cannabis sativa) were found to be allosteric as well as orthosteric ligands with micromolar affinity for the spike protein. In follow-up virus neutralization assays, cannabigerolic acid and cannabidiolic acid prevented infection of human epithelial cells by a pseudovirus expressing the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and prevented entry of live SARS-CoV-2 into cells. Importantly, cannabigerolic acid and cannabidiolic acid were equally effective against the SARS-CoV-2 alpha variant B.1.1.7 and the beta variant B.1.351. 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.

Citation

Richard B. van Breemen, Ruth N. Muchiri, Timothy A. Bates, Jules B. Weinstein, Hans C. Leier, Scotland Farley, and Fikadu G. Tafesse. Cannabinoids Block Cellular Entry of SARS-CoV‑2 and the Emerging Variants. J Nat Product – January 2022

https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acs.jnatprod.1c00946

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About Richard Cole

Richard L. Cole, DC, DACNB, DAAPM, FICCN, FICC is a doctor of chiropractic, with advanced training in chiropractic neurology and pain management. Also, he is a fellow of the International College of Chiropractic Neurology and a fellow of the International College of Chiropractors.