Two cannabis compounds identified by American and Canadian scientists can prevent Covid-19, according to the results of a study published on January 10 in the Journal of Natural Products. Specifically, these are the cannabinoid acids CBGA (cannabigerolic acid) and CBDA (cannabidiolic acid), which should not be confused with THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana. "These cannabinoid acids They are abundant in hemp and many hemp extracts," Richard van Breemen, a researcher at the Oregon State Hemp Innovation Center (United States) at the College of Pharmacy and the Linus Pauling Institute and author of the discovery, in collaboration with other scientists from the Oregon Health Sciences University, told local media. Using a revolutionary technique known as affinity selection mass spectrometry - which allows the distribution of a substance's molecules to be determined and classified based on their compatibility with other molecules - Van Breemen and his collaborators identified two cannabinoid acids capable of binding to the SARS-CoV-2 S protein, a spike-shaped envelope that adheres to cells, causing the virus to enter the body.
"These compounds can be taken orally and have a long history of safe use in humans."
This way, the spike protein would bind to the cannabis compound instead of to cells, which may offer new avenues for preventing and treating the disease. “That means cell entry inhibitors, such as hemp acids, could be used to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection and also to shorten infections by preventing virus particles from infecting human cells,” Breeman explains. “Any part of the infection and replication cycle is a potential target for antiviral intervention, and connecting the spike protein’s receptor-binding domain to the human cell surface receptor ACE2 is a critical step in that cycle,” he explains. In fact, the use of compounds that block the interaction between the virus and the receptor has already been shown to be useful for patients with other viral infections, such as HIV or hepatitis"These compounds can be taken orally and have a long history of safe use in humans," the study authors emphasize.
Proven effectiveness against variants
The experiments included samples of the variants that were of most concern at the time, B.1.1.7 (first detected in the UK) and the B.1351 (identified in South Africa). The cannabinoids tested were shown to be equally effective against them.» These variants are well known for evading early-lineage antibodies against SARS-CoV-2, which is obviously worrying given that the current vaccination strategies "They rely on the early-lineage S protein as an antigen. Our data shows that CBDA and CBGA are effective against the two variants we tested, and we expect this trend to extend to other existing and future variants," Breeman says.
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