Cannabigerol (CBG) destroys drug-resistant bacteria

Cannabigerol (CBG), one of the compounds produced by cannabis that is not psychoactive, is capable of destroying drug-resistant bacteria, recently announced the British newspaper The Guardian. Second Eric Brown, the microbiologist who led the investigation in Canada, CBG was able to kill one of the most common super bacteria, Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus, or MRSA), opening new perspectives for the fight against super bacteria.

By analyzing five cannabis compounds with antibiotic properties, scientists at McMaster University, in Hamilton (Ontario), Canada, found that one of them, CBG, was able to kill antibiotic-resistant bacteria and “persistent” cells, responsible for repeated infections, particularly in a hospital environment.

CBG also managed to eliminate difficult-to-alter biofilms on MRSA, which can form on the skin or on medical implants, and treated mice with MRSA infections as effectively as Vancomycin, a drug widely regarded as the last line of defense against drug-resistant microbes. THE study, which has not yet been published, is now under review in the journal ACS Infectious Diseases.

Eric Brown says cannabinoids are "clearly large compounds similar to other drugs", but admitted that it is still too early to evaluate them for clinical use. "There is a lot of work to be done to explore the potential of cannabinoids as antibiotics from a safety point of view," he told The Guardian.

Resistant bacteria could lead to 'apocalyptic scenarios'

Antibiotic resistance has become a major threat to public health. A British health official, Dame Sally Davies, told the same newspaper that the lack of effective antibiotics could cause “apocalyptic scenarios”, with patients dying from routine infections and making many of the current operations too risky to perform.

In one study, some researchers described the rapid global spread of drug resistance, caused by microbes that develop mutations that protect them against antibiotics, which has led to an urgent need to explore new substances to eliminate them. Of the antibiotics in use today, the most recent date from discoveries made more than 30 years ago.

Bacteria are divided into two classes, depending on the composition of their cells. MRSA bacteria are known as gram-positive and have a thick, unique cell membrane. Gram-negative bacteria differ in that they have outer and inner cell membranes and are more difficult to treat.

Na priority list of drug-resistant bacteria World Health Organization (WHO), the three classified as a “critical” priority are the gram-negative ones, namely Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas Aeruginosa and Enterobacteriaceae.

In his study, Eric Brown noted that CBG and other cannabinoids did not work as well against gram-negative, drug-resistant bacteria. However, Brown's team showed that when CBG was used with small amounts of Polymyxin B, an antibiotic that breaks down the outer membrane of gram-negative bacteria, CBG killed off drug-resistant pathogens.

Researchers believe that cannabis plants produce compounds capable of fighting invading pathogens, but there are other ways to produce CBG. Eric Brown's team synthesized CBG in the laboratory, using chemicals such as Olivetol and Geraniol. "We are now looking for documentation necessary to work with a wide variety of cannabinoids," said the microbiologist.

Mark Blaskovich, who studies antibiotic compounds in cannabis at the University of Queensland, said cannabis appears to be particularly rich in antibiotics. However, other plants such as tea tree, garlic and some spices such as turmeric and turmeric also contain antibacterial agents. “They are probably produced as a defense mechanism, in order to protect the plant from bacterial and fungal infections, but so far they have not been very useful for human infections, as they only work outside the body.”

Mark Blaskovich adds that “this is what makes this new report potentially exciting, showing that Cannabigerol is capable of treating a systemic infection in house mice.”

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Featured Image: CDC em Unsplash