The world of science has again supported the idea of using cannabis to fight illness. In this situation, the University of Waterloo’s researchers has found that synthetic CBD can provide some protection against coronavirus. As per the researchers, cannabidiol boosts the antiviral reaction of cells in our body to three proteins that the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 genome produces. Until recently, it was not a known effect.
In the recent study about CBD for COVID-19, researchers looked at the proteins in our kidney cells, alone and together with cannabidiol, and cannabidiol’s effects in normal control cells.
As per Robin Duncan from the University of Waterloo, when a virus infects lung cells or digestive tract cells, those cells can detect and respond before the human immune system even notices its presence. What makes it possible is activating responses in those cells, forming the most important way of dealing with a virus.
Duncan stated that in the case of an RNA virus, cells should trigger a response measure to attack that genome. As for Duncan, the above-mentioned causes a process called apoptosis that destroys infected cells. It could slow the spread of an infection from one part to another area in the body or prevent an infection. When researchers combined cannabidiol with those viral proteins, those had a better capability to activate not just the said system but also apoptosis.
Duncan stated that she was happy to know that if cells had been unexposed to coronavirus proteins, the use of therapeutic dosages of cannabidiol worked to do the following.
- Prime the antiviral response of the cells
- Make the cells more ready to react to viral infections
Maria Fernandes from the University of Waterloo described it as a positive discovery. It suggests that cannabidiol at the appropriate dosage could aid cells in being in a readier state for that response but does not cause a needless response.
Duncan also stated that evidence from people who use high-dose cannabidiol for epilepsy in the US supports the idea. In the study, patients who consume high-dose cannabidiol with prescription had about a risk of getting a COVID-19-positive test result that is around ten times more. Duncan also stated that cannabidiol does not induce a high sensation, like how THC does, which makes the compound more widely applicable.
There is a need for further research on CBD and COVID-19 for any conclusive claims.