Researchers at the University of South Carolina have discovered THC could be used in the battle against the Covid-19 pandemic.
The team found Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS), when caused by inhalation of the bacterial toxin straphylococcal enterotoxin, could be prevented by treatment with THC.
Staphylococcal enterotoxin can cause ARDS by triggering the immune system to over-produce cytokines – dubbed the “cytokine storm”- leading to multiple organ failure.
The immune process is similar in severe cases of Covid-19, with sufferers developing ARDS accompanied by cytokine storm, and raises the possibility that THC could be used to treat those patients too.
The study also found THC promoted beneficial bacteria that soothe inflammation and prevent damage to the lungs caused by staphylococcal enterotoxin.
The news comes after results from pre-clinical tests of MGC Pharma’s natural supplement ArtemiC suggested it can have a positive impact on the cytokine storm.
The study is published in the British Journal of Pharmacology.
