A compound that is found in cannabis might help for reducing lung damage from the coronavirus or COVID-19, a new study claimed. Scientists at the Dental College of Georgia said that CBD appears to decrease the 'cytokine storm' that damages the lungs of the patients with the deadly virus.
Earlier this year, the team discovered that CBD was able to improve the oxygen levels and decrease lung inflammation in coronavirus patients. Now, they have shown the way how it happens. Their discoveries indicate that CBD enables a rise in the levels of a natural peptide called apelin, which is known for reducing inflammation.
COVID-19 and Cannabis
In their research, the team was able to show that the blood levels of apelin rise 20 times when the patients were given CBD. Dr. Jack Yu who worked on the research said, "CBD almost brought it back to a normal level." This is not the first time that researchers have suggested that a compound in cannabis might help to reduce lung damage from the deadly disease.
Previously this year, researchers from the University of South Carolina stated that tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), one of the important active compounds in cannabis might reduce inflammation in the lungs known as acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). In the study, the scientists tested the effects of the THC on mice with ARDS. They discovered that in 100 percent of cases the THC stopped the inflammation in the lungs, by slowing the release of cytokine proteins.
"It is of interest to note that a significant proportion of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients come down with sepsis and ARDS accompanied by a cytokine storm. Because currently there is no effective treatment against ARDS, a significant percentage of such COVID-19 patients die from severe damage to the lungs and other organs, caused by cytokine storm," Amira Mohammed the lead researcher in the study published in Frontiers in Pharmacology.
