Blazing ahead: Cannabis for antibiotic resistance and pain relief

25 Mar 2020 --- Cannabinoids, including cannabidiol (CBD), have been under the microscope as easing regulation has enabled research to flourish. According to researchers from the University of Southern Denmark, CBD increased the effects of antibiotics, providing a new potential way to fight antibiotic resistance. Meanwhile, a US study has revealed that cannabinoid treatment can be effective in people suffering from acute pain.

“We hope our results will have an impact on people’s health as we aim to make marketable products together with a Danish medicinal cannabis company, Canna Therapeutics ApS. Hopefully, scientific evidence on effects of medicinal cannabis can support policies in regards to doctors prescribing medicinal cannabis to patients where it matters,” Principal Investigator Janne Kudsk Klitgaard, tells NutritionInsight. 

“Combining an antibiotic with a helper compound enhances the effect of the antibiotic. Therefore, we need less of the antibiotic to achieve the same effect. This may contribute to the development of less [antibiotic] resistant bacteria,” she adds. The study has been published in the journal Scientific Reports. 

When Staphylococcus aureus bacteria was treated with the combination of CBD and antibiotics, the bacteria could no longer divide normally. Additionally, the expression of certain key genes (cell division and autolysis genes) in the bacteria was lowered, and the bacterial membrane became unstable. 

Staphylococcus aureus is a major human pathogen that frequently causes community- and hospital-acquired disease. While this study used the antibiotic bacitracin, multidrug-resistant clones of the pathogen have spread globally. In some countries, the treatment of infections caused by the bacteria are difficult to fight, with the issue set to grow in the future. Harmful bacteria continues to become more and more resistant to antibiotics, which have saved millions of lives around the world since penicillin’s discovery in 1928.

The study examined wound infections that can be treated with a cream containing the combination of CBD and the antibiotic. CBD NPD in personal care products has recently been seen in everything from moisturizers to toothpaste. Klitgaard notes that consuming or smoking cannabinoids could be less effective as they degrade within the body. “However, reaching therapeutic levels this way is something we will look into in the future,” she states. 

The researchers had been looking into compounds that can increase the power of antibiotics for over a decade, so the results were not surprising. However, Klitgaard states it was of note just how well CBD works. The researchers are now establishing mechanisms of action and hope to start testing in animal models soon. 

Cannabinoid treatment may help patients with acute pain.Cannabis for pain
Across the Atlantic, a systematic review and meta-analysis revealed that a small but significant reduction in subjective pain scores for cannabinoid treatment compared to placebo in patients experiencing acute pain. Additionally, the safety of using cannabinoids to treat acute pain may be suggested by a lack of an increase in serious adverse effects. 

The study, which was published in the journal Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research, included five trials using oral cannabinoids, and one using intramuscular cannabinoids. The researchers observed a significant difference in effect size between the oral and non-oral routes of administration, with intramuscular cannabinoids yielding a significant reduction in pain relative to placebo. However, there was no difference in effect between oral cannabinoids and the placebo.

“The usefulness of cannabis-derived medicines in the treatment of pain, both acute and chronic, is still vigorously debated. The meta-analysis conducted in this study reinforces the need for more rigorous studies to assess whether cannabis might be effective in the treatment of acute pain conditions,” says Editor-in-Chief Daniele Piomelli, University of California-Irvine, School of Medicine. 

However, the study did not specifically examine CBD, which is just one of over 100 identified cannabinoids. However, various forms of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), as well as cannabis oil extract, were included. 

Earlier this month, a cannabinoid called tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV) was flagged as providing a novel avenue of research in diabetes and weight management thanks to its appetite-suppressing characteristics.

Regulation in the cannabis space has been moving quickly. Earlier this month, members of the nutrition industry slammed the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)’s indefinite extension of the public comment window on cannabis and CBD products. The Natural Products Association pegged the move as a “huge and surprising step backward.”

Meanwhile, the UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) recently set a deadline for CBD companies to provide more information about their products and their contents. The FSA gives industry by March 31, 2021, to submit valid novel food authorization applications.

By Katherine Durrell