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
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