Cannabis has the potential to make a dent in India’s combat towards the escalating menace of antibiotic resistance.
Scientists at CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine (IIIM), Jammu, have discovered that phytocannabinoids, a category of compounds discovered within the cannabis plant, possess some hitherto unexplored antibiotic properties.
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a serious well being concern worldwide. It refers to when micro organism, viruses, fungi, and parasites not reply to medicines used to deal with them.
According to Sanghapal D. Sawant, a senior principal scientist on the CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory (NCL), Pune, micro organism have developed sure subtle ‘shields’ over many a long time to withstand the effects of antibiotic medicines.
These embrace the formation of biofilms – skinny sheets of bacterial colonies which can be extra proof against antibiotics than when separated – and mobile mechanisms referred to as efflux pumps that flush medication out from cells.
The ensuing AMR will increase the chance of illness unfold, extreme sickness, and dying.
What is India’s AMR burden?
According to one estimate, India reported 2.97 lakh deaths in 2019 that could possibly be attributed to AMR and 10.42 lakh others that could possibly be related to AMR.
Reports have additionally flagged the overuse of antibiotics in India, their misuse in animal husbandry, and poor waste disposal for engendering AMR and doubtlessly rendering India the “AMR capital of the world”.
For these causes, medical researchers are eager to tamp down AMR and discover new medication that combat AMR pathogens.
In the new research, printed within the journal ACS Infectious Diseases, IIIM researchers examined the antibacterial properties of tetrahydrocannabidiol (THCBD), a semisynthetic phytocannabinoid, towards Staphylococcus aureus, the micro organism answerable for the second most variety of deaths as a consequence of AMR worldwide.
Need for ‘alternative solutions’
Antibiotics are chemical compounds remoted from one microorganism and used to kill one other. They have saved hundreds of thousands of lives since their discovery however are falling brief towards AMR micro organism.
“S. aureus includes a strain known as MRSA, for methicillin-resistant S. aureus, resistant to the last line of antibiotics called methicillin,” Parvinder Pal Singh, principal scientist at IIIM researcher and the research’s corresponding writer, mentioned. “While numerous antibiotics exist for S. aureus, the emergence of the MRSA strain necessitates alternative solutions.”
The research revealed THCBD obtained from cannabis might combat MRSA. “We tested this molecule on eight to ten different resistant strains of S. aureus, indicating its potential through a distinct mechanism, and offering a promising avenue for further investigation.”
How is THCBD made?
Cannabinoids are a category of compounds discovered within the cannabis plant. The prefix ‘phyto’ in phytocannabinoid means it comes from a plant. Cannabinoids bind to receptors within the our bodies of animals to supply a wide range of neurological effects.
The researchers extracted cannabidiol from a cannabis plant and made it react with hydrogen, utilizing palladium as a catalyst. This course of yielded a mix of molecules with the identical composition and order of atoms however totally different buildings. One of them was THCBD.
What have been THCBD’s effects?
Then the researchers examined THCBD towards bacterial cultures within the lab. The minimal amount discovered to be efficacious towards a pressure of Gram-positive S. aureus used generally in AMR analysis was discovered to be 0.25 μg/ml, which the researchers referred to as “potent”.
They discovered THCBD “demonstrated strong effectiveness” towards efflux pump overexpression and MRSA strains.
They additionally wrote THCBD “significantly reduced” the variety of viable microbial cells of S. aureus pores and skin infections in mice.
Finally, they discovered that the compound both complemented or was detached to the effects of different frequent antibiotics like mupirocin, penicillin G, and ciprofloxacin, that means they could possibly be used collectively.
“While we have identified a promising candidate, the journey to transforming it into a viable drug involves overcoming additional hurdles,” Dr Singh mentioned. “The establishment of a comprehensive safety profile is a crucial step that remains to be seen. Moving forward, our focus will include addressing these issues to develop an improved and safer molecule for potential drug applications.”
Is THCBD well-studied?
Nonetheless, Showkat Rashid, a senior scientist on the Medicinal Chemistry Division of IIIM, referred to as the research “very exciting” and “thought-provoking”.
“On one hand, it is well aligned towards the development of new therapeutics against AMR and on the other, it brings the less explored but highly potent phytocannabinoids into the fold” of AMR analysis.
The major motive it wasn’t within the fold already? THCBD comes from cannabis, which is infamous for its intoxicating properties. As a consequence it hasn’t been simple to collaborate on phytocannabinoid analysis with different institutes.
Dr Sawant mentioned analysis associated to cannabis comes up towards authorized constraints and the necessity to adhere to particular laws when finding out this plant.
For instance, Section 20 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act 1985 restricts using cannabis and doesn’t make exceptions for analysis.
“This research group has been involved in research on cannabis or phytocannabinoids for the past few years. They have devised different strategies and multi-pronged approaches to come-up with potent cannabinoid-based molecules for different disease areas, including cancer, pain management, epilepsy and infections,” Dr Rashid mentioned.
What subsequent for THCBD?
Pankaj Singh Cham, lead writer of the research, mentioned the group is “eager to explore collaborations to speed up our progress.”
“Establishing a framework and transportation agreement is important. Currently, many universities lack approval to conduct research on the plant, and efforts are underway to secure government authorisation,” he added.
“The study recently published by Dr Singh’s research group … has presented a unique set of molecules that could be a game-changer in tackling AMR-related problems,” Dr Sawant mentioned. “It is found to have the ability to be a good preclinical candidate, which needs further fine-tuning as far as its drug likeness is concerned.”
He added that addressing the solubility problem of THCBD could possibly be a “viable strategy”, along with conducting a complete security profile evaluation, to pave the best way for its use as a drug.
What is the solubility problem?
Solubility is a crucial consideration for a drug. For instance, many antibiotics are administered orally. Before their energetic elements might be absorbed at a selected web site within the physique, the drug might want to dissolve in an aqueous resolution. If it doesn’t dissolve correctly, the physique gained’t be capable to take in it as meant.
Among different issues, solubility is influenced by the properties of the solvent. For instance, a molecule might be too hydrophilic (water-loving) or lipophilic (fat-loving), Dr Singh defined. In a organic system, the cytoplasm – which fills the within of a cell – is a gelatinous liquid and the cell’s wall is primarily composed of lipids.
A drug molecule on this milieu ought to be neither too hydrophilic nor too lipophilic however in between. THCBD “leans slightly towards lipophilicity”, based on Dr Singh. Achieving this “drug-like” stability is essential for it to be appropriately soluble.
“In our upcoming efforts, we aim to enhance these properties,” he mentioned.
These research “could culminate in some fruitful outcome of research and will be useful for society as well,” Dr Sawant added.
Hirra Azmat is a contract journalist primarily based in Jammu & Kashmir.
