Cannabis is currently involved in treatments for cancer, neurological and mental health, and chronic pain disorders, and as scientists keep investigating its properties, they continue to find new benefits. A new study conducted by scientists at the University of South Carolina (SC) shows that THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) can prevent deadly symptoms of influenza and Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS), a lung disorder associated with COVID-19, in mice.
Over 3 million people worldwide get affected by Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) per year. ARDS is fatal in 35-50% of people and typically involves infection of the lungs, rapid inflammation, bluish skin, and shortness of breath.
The deadly symptoms associated with ARDS usually follow a rush of signals in the lungs known as a cytokine storm. Cytokines are released in the body as tiny messengers. They are critical to the immune system when the body is under attack from the infection. Cytokines can either be pro-inflammatory, where they send messages for the body to react on the spot of infection with immune cells, or anti-inflammatory, where they slow down the reaction and prevent immune cells from destroying the area.
For the study, lead scientist Amira Mohammed and colleagues set out to see if THC could help; so, they treated ARDS-infected mice with THC. The team believed that THC could play a significant role in stopping inflammation in the lungs, as it has previously been shown that THC acts as an anti-inflammatory agent.
The results were successful. In 100% of the cases, THC protected the mice against deadly symptoms that occur after a cytokine storm by stopping the pro-inflammatory cytokines that bring immune cells to the infected area and cause damage. That’s not all; THC also increased the anti-inflammatory activity, slowing down inflammation and stopping the damage caused.
These findings could potentially pave the way to stop cytokine storms and grave complications in patients with respiratory disease. However, this study only experimented on mice and would need a lot more clinical trials and testing before it could become a possible therapy for humans.
