results from a new study published in the medical journal frontiers in pharmacology suggest that tetrahydrocannabinol ( thc ) may be helpful in preventing the occurrence of a life-threatening illness linked to the coronavirus.
researchers at the university of south carolina say that the cannabinoid can reduce a type of rapidly-progressing disease causing pulmonary inflammation known as acute respiratory distress syndrome (ards). symptoms include shortness of breath, gasping for air and blue colouration of the skin.
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the study administered thc to mice suffering from staphylococcus aureus infection-induced ards, which normally results in acute mortality. in 100 per cent of cases of thc-treated mice, the cannabinoid halted pulmonary inflammation by decelerating the release of cytokine proteins — leading to the survival of every mouse that received the treatment.
“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 cytokine storm,” researchers wrote . “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.”