In one study, a cannabis compound was found to be particularly effective in fighting antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
For a hundred years antibiotics have been used to fight bacteriological diseases. These compounds have saved tens of millions of lives, but we tend to overuse them, especially in the food system. As a result, some bacteria have therefore evolved to develop resistance . As a result, many treatments that still worked a few years ago are no longer effective today.
The problem is also taken very seriously by the health authorities. According to the WHO, these super bacteria could indeed kill up to 10 million people by 2050 if no other approach is developed to treat them. This is why we must quickly isolate other molecules , unknown to bacteria, able to effectively fight bacterial infections.
Progress has been made over the past few years. A few weeks ago, for example, researchers developed an artificial intelligence capable of quickly identifying new compounds in a relatively short time. This algorithm would have made it possible to isolate an incredibly effective molecule against a strain of the bacterium A. baumannii , resistant to all known antibiotics.
Recently, a team from McMaster University (Canada) turned to cannabis , some compounds of which were suspected of having anti-microbial powers. As part of this work, the researchers studied 18 molecules derived from Cannabis sativa, including cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).
Among all these molecules, cannabigerol (CBG), a non-psychoactive cannabis compound, immediately showed promise. The researchers therefore focused only on him. In tests with mice, CBG was found to be particularly effective against Staphylococcus aureus , methicillin-resistant (MRSA), or Gram-negative bacteria, including E. coli .
According to the researchers, the effectiveness of CBG is explained by its ability to attack the biofilms of bacteria . These concentrations of microorganisms, which gather on the surface of bacterial membranes, confer an astonishing resistance to their hosts against various attacks. By focusing on it, cannabigerol would thus make the super-bacteria more vulnerable.
“CBG has been shown to be wonderful at fighting disease-causing bacteria. The results suggest real therapeutic potential for cannabinoids as antibiotics said Eric Brown, lead author of the study.
Small flat all the same. While the compound does indeed appear to be very effective, it also appears to cause toxic effects on "good" host cells . Additional research will therefore be necessary to try to derive only of the benefits of this cannabis compound.
Study details are published in the journal ACS Infectious Diseases .
Related articles:
