Synthetic CBD kills gonorrhea and may provide resistant strains with the first new antibiotic in 60 years

Since Alexander Fleming first refined penicillin in 1928, literally hundreds of millions of lives have been saved from potentially deadly infections. Can you imagine a world without antibiotics? It’s a true outlook, so it keeps many doctors up late. Not because the antibiotics disappear overnight, but because they become more and more ineffective as the microorganisms become more resistant.

“Resistant” bacteria can grow in the presence of antibiotics of various therapeutic levels. Over time, such strains can become so widespread that new classes of antibiotics need to be used. But what if nothing at your disposal works?

Fight with Antibiotic resistant bacteria Often compared to an arms race, scientists may have discovered a cannabis compound, an unlikely novel weapon.

Synthetic cannabidiol, also known as CBD, can kill the bacteria that cause gonorrhea, meningitis, and legionellosis, according to a new study published by scientists at the University of Queensland, Australia.

“This is the first time that CBD has been shown to kill several types of Gram-negative bacteria. These bacteria have an extra outer membrane and additional lines of defense that prevent antibiotics from penetrating. ” Dr. Mark BlazkovichThe director of the Super Bug Solutions Center at the University of Queensland said in a statement.

Gonorrhea is one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases, but until recently it has always been easy to get rid of, thanks to antibiotics. Millions of people have been prescribed antibiotics to cure gonorrhea infections, but not everyone has taken the drug as directed. Some have not gone through the entire course of antibiotics to train a new generation of drug-resistant strains.

Already, older treatments such as penicillin are ineffective.In developed countries, doctors sometimes report: Available treatment options are not effective.. According to the World Health Organization, there are only three potential medications at various stages of the trial, but it’s unclear if they will prove effective against the emerging strain of gonorrhea. There is none. More widespread all over the world..

This is where synthetic CBD may help.The second most abundant cannabidiol in plants Cannabis sativa It has become more and more popular in recent years. Unlike THC, CBD is not a psychotropic drug, so it does not get “high”. However, people who have used it claim that it can be relaxed and relieve anxiety.

Currently, Blaskovich et al. Show that they may also act as antibiotics in some situations. In addition to gonorrhea, synthetic CBD was widely effective against far more Gram-positive bacteria than previously known, including antibiotic-resistant pathogens such as MRSA (methicillin resistant). Staphylococcus aureus) Or “Golden Stuff”.

CBD was particularly effective at decomposition Biofilm, Plaque on the surface of teeth, etc.

Scientists still don’t know exactly how CBD destroys bacteria. For now, they know it works. In addition, it is unlikely to contribute to bacterial resistance.

“Cannabidiol has been shown to be less prone to develop resistance to bacteria, even if it accelerates potential development by increasing the concentration of antibiotics during’treatment’,” said Australian researchers. I will.

“I think cannabidiol kills bacteria by rupturing the outer cell membrane, but we still don’t know exactly how that happens. We need to study further.”

This study is exciting given that no new class of antibiotics for Gram-negative bacterial infections has been found since the 1960s. In the future, Botanix Pharmaceuticals Limited, a company that provided formulation expertise to research, plans to test topical CBD formulations in preoperative MRSA decolonization clinical trials. Phase 2 clinical trials are scheduled to begin earlier this year.

The survey results were published in the journal Communication biology.