Tag Archives: Hemp

Health

Cannabis to control COVID-19? Research finds a hemp compound blocks infection – WISH-TV | Indianapolis News | Indiana Weather

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CORVALLIS, Oregon (WISH) — A study released Friday by Oregon State University researchers say compounds found in Cannabis sativa, or hemp, showed the ability to prevent the coronavirus from entering human cells.

The discovery came as part of a chemical screening technique under study by Richard van Breeman of the university’s Global Hemp Innovation Center.

“Van Breemen and collaborators, including scientists at Oregon Health & Science University, found that a pair of cannabinoid acids bind to the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, blocking a critical step in the process the virus uses to infect people,” says a news release from Oregon State.

The acids are the same ones used in COVID-19 vaccines and antibody therapy, the release says.

“These cannabinoid acids are abundant in hemp and in many hemp extracts,” van Breemen said in the release. “They are not controlled substances like THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, and have a good safety profile in humans. And our research showed the hemp compounds were equally effective against variants of SARS-CoV-2, including variant B.1.1.7 (alpha), which was first detected in the United Kingdom, and variant B.1.351 (beta), first detected in South Africa.”

Using compounds that block virus-receptor interaction has been helpful for patients with other viral infections, he says, including HIV-1 and hepatitis.

“Our earlier research reported on the discovery of another compound, one from licorice, that binds to the spike protein, too,” he said. “However, we did not test that compound, licochalcone A, for activity against the live virus yet. We need new funding for that.”

Indiana first allowed farmers to grow hemp in the state in 2021 if they’re licensed to do so.



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Study Finds Hemp Compounds Prevent Coronavirus Infection – NBC New York

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Some of the compounds in cannabis may prevent the entry of the coronavirus into healthy human cells, according to a study published in the Journal of Nature Products. 

The research was conducted at Oregon State University and led by Richard van Breemen, a scientist with Oregon State’s Global Hemp Innovation Center, College of Pharmacy, and Linus Pauling Institute.

The study suggests two compounds found in commonly found in hemp — cannabigerolic and cannabidiolic acid — prevent coronavirus from entering cells that typically line internal organs and skin in a lab setting.

In the study, these acids were able to bind to the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein — the same target used in COVID-19 vaccines and antibody therapy. Once bound, this step could block a critical step in the pathogen process used to infect the cell.

“That means cell entry inhibitors, like the acids from hemp, could be used to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection and also to shorten infections by preventing virus particles from infecting human cells. They bind to the spike proteins so those proteins can’t bind to the ACE2 enzyme, which is abundant on the outer membrane of endothelial cells in the lungs and other organs,” said van Breemen in a statement.

Both cannabis compounds were found equally effective against the SARS-CoV-2 alpha and beta variants.

Van Breemen hopes this trend seen in his findings will apply to other existing and future COVID-19 variants.

Hemp, part of the species Cannabis sativa, is one of the cannabis species grown for industrial and medicinal use, including in dietary supplements, animal feed, and cosmetics.

Van Breemen states these compounds can be taken orally. To him, they have the potential to prevent and treat infection by SARS-CoV-2.

“CBDA and CBGA are produced by the hemp plant as precursors to CBD and CBG, which are familiar to many consumers. However, they are different from the acids and are not contained in hemp products,” van Breeman noted.

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Cannabis compounds prevent coronavirus from entering human cells

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A new study published by researchers at Oregon State University found hemp compounds have the ability to prevent the virus that causes COVID-19 from entering human cells.

Findings of the study led by Richard van Breemen, a researcher with Oregon State’s Global Hemp Innovation Center, College of Pharmacy and Linus Pauling Institute, were published this week in the Journal of Natural Products.

Hemp, known scientifically as cannabis sativa, is a source of fiber, food and animal feed, and multiple hemp extracts and compounds are added to cosmetics, body lotions, dietary supplements and food, van Breemen said.

According to a press release from OSU, Van Breemen and collaborators, including scientists at Oregon Health & Science University, found that a pair of cannabinoid acids bind to the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, blocking a critical step in the process the virus uses to infect people.

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The compounds are cannabigerolic acid, or CBGA, and cannabidiolic acid, CBDA, and the spike protein is the same drug target used in COVID-19 vaccines and antibody therapy. A drug target is any molecule critical to the process a disease follows, meaning its disruption can thwart infection or disease progression.

“These cannabinoid acids are abundant in hemp and in many hemp extracts,” van Breemen said. “They are not controlled substances like THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, and have a good safety profile in humans. And our research showed the hemp compounds were equally effective against variants of SARS-CoV-2, including variant B.1.1.7, which was first detected in the United Kingdom, and variant B.1.351, first detected in South Africa.” Those two variants are also known the alpha and beta variant, respectively.

So what’s the difference between CBD, something you can buy off the shelf in Michigan, and CBDA? According to Montkush, “the main difference between CBDA and CBD is that CBDA is a precursor chemical to Cannabidiol (CBD), similar but not acidic. What that means is that it’s a natural compound found in the raw plant. As with many other cannabinoids, CBDA undergoes a transformation when cannabis is processed. When the plant is heated, cured, or dried, acidic compounds break down into new chemicals. This is the process that produces large amounts of CBD from CBDA.” (Read more here)

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“Any part of the infection and replication cycle is a potential target for antiviral intervention, and the connection of the spike protein’s receptor binding domain to the human cell surface receptor ACE2 is a critical step in that cycle,” he said. “That means cell entry inhibitors, like the acids from hemp, could be used to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection and also to shorten infections by preventing virus particles from infecting human cells. They bind to the spike proteins so those proteins can’t bind to the ACE2 enzyme, which is abundant on the outer membrane of endothelial cells in the lungs and other organs.”

Related: U-M study: Natural COVID infections provide protection against reinfection, two variants

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Using compounds that block virus-receptor interaction has been helpful for patients with other viral infections, he notes, including HIV-1 and hepatitis.

“We identified several cannabinoid ligands and ranked them by affinity to the spike protein,” van Breemen said. “The two cannabinoids with the highest affinities for the spike protein were CBDA and CGBA, and they were confirmed to block infection.

“One of the primary concerns in the pandemic is the spread of variants, of which there are many, and B.1.1.7 and B.1.351 are among the most widespread and concerning,” he added. “These variants are well known for evading antibodies against early lineage SARS-CoV-2, which is obviously concerning given that current vaccination strategies rely on the early lineage spike protein as an antigen. Our data show CBDA and CBGA are effective against the two variants we looked at, and we hope that trend will extend to other existing and future variants.”

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Van Breemen said resistant variants could still arise amid widespread use of cannabinoids but that the combination of vaccination and CBDA/CBGA treatment should make for a much more challenging environment for SARS-CoV-2.

“Our earlier research reported on the discovery of another compound, one from licorice, that binds to the spike protein too,” he said. “However, we did not test that compound, licochalcone A, for activity against the live virus yet. We need new funding for that.”

Timothy Bates, Jules Weinstein, Hans Leier, Scotland Farley and Fikadu Tafesse of OHSU also contributed to the cannabinoid study.

Related: Officials warn of fentanyl-laced marijuana in Michigan, call it ‘emerging public health threat’

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Is Delta-8 THC Safe?

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Photo: gallifreyphotography (Shutterstock)

Delta-8 THC is a newly popular way to get high, since it’s legal in many places where regular cannabis isn’t. But just because it has slipped through a legal loophole doesn’t mean it’s perfectly safe, and recently the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned consumers and health providers about some potential downsides.

What is delta-8?

Cannabis contains a variety of naturally occurring chemicals that have effects on our brains and bodies. The best known is tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC. That’s considered to be the main source of weed’s high. Technically most THC that we care about is known chemically as delta-9 THC, and federal regulations apply to cannabis plants that have a certain percentage of delta-9.

Another of these natural chemicals is cannabidiol (CBD), which you’ve probably noticed is everywhere since the 2018 Farm Bill allowed cannabis plants with less than 0.3% THC to be sold legally. This means that if you start with low-delta-9-THC hemp plants rather than high-delta-9-THC marijuana, you can make just about anything you like and sell it legally. This led to the boom in CBD products, which are made from these low-THC plants.

Somewhere along the line, some genius figured out that you could process hemp plants to create delta-8 THC. This isn’t prohibited by federal law, but it can still make you high. There’s more info on this in our guide to enjoying delta-8 responsibly, but basically, in most states you can easily buy delta-8 products over the counter or order them online. You’ll often find them in CBD shops, since they owe their availability to the same legal loophole.

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What’s wrong with it, then?

The FDA’s and CDC’s recent warnings don’t include anything too dire about delta-8 itself, but we’ll get into the specifics in a minute. What’s important to know first is that delta-8 is still THC, and it seems to have similar risks and benefits as normal (delta-9) THC.

In other words, it can get you high, and if you take too much, you could get the symptoms of “greening out” including being nauseous, lethargic, and uncoordinated. THC can also affect your heart rate and blood pressure, making it a health concern even though overdoses are unlikely to ever be fatal.

Once you understand that, there are two main issues that the FDA and CDC are worried about.

People don’t always realize they’re taking THC

Since delta-8 is often sold alongside CBD products, it may be easy to miss the fact that you’re buying something that can get you high. Not everybody knows what delta-8 is, and those who are being introduced to it for the first time might hear it being called a cutesy nickname like “diet weed” or they might hear a sales pitch downplaying the similarities between delta-8 and normal weed.

The recent CDC report mentions two cases from the West Virginia poison control center in which adults took what they thought were “CBD-like products” and ended up getting high enough to call the poison control center.

Another pair of cases, this time from Michigan, were in children who ate a parent’s delta-8 gummies. The children ended up with slowed breathing, slowed heart rate, and lowered blood pressure. They were admitted to intensive care for monitoring and supplemental oxygen.

The CDC also notes that labels may not always reflect how high a product can make you feel, since there are cases where a weed product might contain both delta-9 and delta-8, but only list the one or the other on its label. And while states with legal weed often have some oversight of quality control or requirements for lab testing, there’s no such framework for delta-8 products.

The bottom line here is that it’s important to treat delta-8 items the same as you would any other weed product: Keep them away from children and pets, read labels carefully, and when you try any new product, take a small dose to start with.

Delta-8 products could be contaminated with other chemicals

If delta-8 products only contained delta-8, that would be the end of it. But hemp plants don’t contain much delta-8 normally; that’s why we’re talking about delta-8 products (like gummies and vapes) rather than just smoking hemp flowers. It takes a lot of industrial processing to turn the trace cannabinoids in hemp into enough delta-8 for a psychoactive gummy.

As an article in Chemical and Engineering News explains, laboratory analysis has found other cannabinoids like delta-9 and delta-10 THC in many delta-8 products, as well as a menagerie of mystery compounds that don’t occur naturally in cannabis and whose effects and potential risks are still unknown. One of these is olivetol, which might blunt your high and might be the reason why people often feel lighter effects from delta-8 than regular cannabis—but that’s just a hypothesis. We also don’t know what a safe dose of olivetol might be.

Then there’s the issue of what gets added to the products as the delta-8 is being produced. Usually there is a solvent like toluene or heptane, and a strong acid. That might be okay if you knew for sure that those chemicals were removed before the product was finished. But “most people are not actually taking the time to distill it or use chromatography,” a chemist told Chemical and Engineering News.

The FDA and CDC are also concerned that people making delta-8 products may be doing it without proper facilities, and that they may be adding ingredients for color or other reasons that may not be safe to inhale or ingest. If you recall the vaping-related lung disease (EVALI) of a few years ago, that seemed to have been caused by additives in weed vapes that were not safe to inhale. Regulation doesn’t automatically make things safe, but it’s worth noting that none of the vape products linked to EVALI were from legal dispensaries.

If you think you’ve had health problems related to a delta-8 product (or to any medication, for that matter), the FDA has a number of ways to report those and even to speak to a person at the agency directly, which are listed at the bottom of their fact sheet on delta-8.

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