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Researchers in Canada conducted a study to determine whether Cannabis sativa extracts could help reduce levels of the host cell receptor that the SARS-CoV-2 virus attaches to to penetrate and spread.
For the study, researchers at the University of Lethbridge and Pathway Rx Inc., Lethbridge developed hundreds of new cultivars of C. sativa and tested 23 extracts in artificial 3D human models of oral, respiratory and intestinal tissue. .
The study, published in the journal Aging, noted that 13 of the extracts down-regulated the expression of the angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) of the host cell receptor for SARS-CoV-2.
“The observed down-regulation of ACE2 gene expression by several tested extracts of novel cultivars of C. sativa is a new and crucial finding,” the researchers said.
“Although our most effective extracts require large-scale validation, our study is important for future analyzes of the effects of medical cannabis on COVID-19,” wrote Olga Kovalchuk and her colleagues.
“Downregulation of ACE2 levels in gateway tissues may therefore be a plausible strategy to decrease susceptibility to disease,” said Kovalchuk and colleagues.
According to a report published in the journal News Medical and Life Sciences, C. Sativa, especially cultivars rich in cannabidiol (CBD), appears to alter gene expression and possess anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties.
The researchers identified six extracts that significantly down-regulated ACE2 expression and two extracts that slightly up-regulated its expression.
In an unstimulated oral tissue model, two extracts downregulated ACE2 expression, while three other extracts upregulated its expression.
Next, the team examined a model of oral tissue that had been stimulated by treatment with tumor necrosis and inflammatory cytokine interferon.
Scientists found that all but one C. sativa extract downregulated the expression of this level of modified ACE2 mRNA.
Additionally, in a 3D intestinal tissue model stimulated by inflammation, two extracts significantly decreased ACE2 mRNA levels.
“Using artificial 3D human models of oral, respiratory and intestinal tissues, we identified 13 CBD-rich C. Sativa extracts that decrease ACE2 protein levels,” the team wrote.
“If these results are further confirmed, these CBD-rich cannabis extracts can be used to develop prevention strategies aimed at lowering ACE2 levels in high-risk transient tissues,” they write.
“Extracts from our most successful new CBD-rich C. Sativa lines, pending further investigation, may become a useful and safe adjunct to the prevention and treatment of COVID-19 as adjunct therapy,” he said. concluded the team.
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