{"id":145133,"date":"2022-06-20T15:00:33","date_gmt":"2022-06-20T20:00:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tecreview.tec.mx\/?p=145133"},"modified":"2024-12-10T17:43:14","modified_gmt":"2024-12-10T23:43:14","slug":"tec-de-monterrey-conducts-first-cbd-study-to-treat-covid-19","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tecscience.tec.mx\/en\/health\/tec-de-monterrey-conducts-first-cbd-study-to-treat-covid-19\/","title":{"rendered":"Tec de Monterrey conducts first CBD study to treat Covid-19 after-effects"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Marijuana has been used for centuries as an unregulated alternative form of medicine. However, legislation for this plant has been making progress in Mexico and the rest of the world. It is now used to reduce pain in cancer patients or to treat epilepsy in children due to its anti-convulsive and sedative effects. But how can it be used to treat the after-effects of Covid-19<\/a>?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Mexico, progress is also being made on the regulatory laws. Recently, the Federal Commission for Protection against Health Risks (COFEPRIS) in Mexico and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States approved a molecule of this plant developed by specialists from Tec de Monterrey and the company Cardiol Therapeutics to research its use in patients that have been infected with SARS-CoV-2.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The molecule comes from cannabidiol (CBD<\/a>), one of 500 compounds from the cannabis plant. This chemical substance doesn\u2019t include Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive ingredient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been researching this molecule for 10 years. In the first phase, we saw that CBD decreases the<\/strong> anti-inflammatory<\/strong> immune response<\/strong>, which is why, in the midst of the pandemic, we were looking to use it on patients with Covid-19 and cardiovascular diseases,\u201d explains Servando Cardona<\/a>, national director of Clinical Research at TecSalud<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The team is currently preparing to conclude Phase 2 and 3 studies, the first in Mexico to evaluate the use of CBD in patients who have had Covid-19 and cardiovascular diseases.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

10 years of CBD research<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In an interview, Servando Cardona explains that a research group from the Institute of Cardiology and Vascular Medicine at Tec de Monterrey\u2019s<\/a> Zambrano Hellion Hospital<\/a> has been working on the CBD molecule in collaboration with Cardiol Therapeutics for 10 years.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

They first looked at the therapeutic benefits and then developed a molecule via in-vitro studies and animal models until it was safe for humans. The CBD developed is a global contribution whose use is approved by COFEPRIS and the FDA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur molecule has good manufacturing practices, meaning that because it\u2019s made in the laboratory, we can control the exact amount of CBD<\/strong>, unlike other treatments available on the market,\u201d says Cardona.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CBD was tested on cell lines and found to decrease the immune response. This protocol was then applied in animal models, where it was confirmed that it had an anti-inflammatory effect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe found that the molecule can be applied to many diseases where uncontrolled immune responses cause more damage than the disease, such as heart failure,\u201d says the national director of Clinical Research at TecSalud.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But, in the midst of the pandemic, CBD could be given to patients with Covid-19<\/strong>. The team wrote the protocol but found that Mexico\u2019s regulatory processes were slow because of the health emergency. So, the Phase 1 study was carried out in Canada.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve seen good results. Patients can tolerate the dose of cannabidiol well, with safe levels of side effects,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\r\n \r\n \"\"\r\n <\/picture>
The research group from the Institute of Cardiology and Vascular Medicine at Zambrano Hellion Hospital who are evaluating the effectiveness of CBD given to Covid-19 patients. (Photo: TecSalud)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

CBD to prevent after-effects of Covid-19<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Phase 1 of the study took place in Canada, in which 30 participants received oral synthetic cannabidiol diluted in juice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Doses were given in different amounts in order to demonstrate side effects. It was confirmed that the molecule could interrupt the acute inflammatory response in Covid-19 patients, preventing after-effects.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are more than 200 after-effects of SARS-CoV-2, but the one that worries the team most is heart damage, causing symptoms such as fatigue and lack of sleep, because patients are at risk of developing cardiovascular disease<\/strong>, one of the leading causes of death in the country<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, the clinical study is in Phases 2 and 3, in which the TecSalud team and Canadian company Cardiol Therapeutics will study 30 Mexicans from 200 volunteers in Mexico, the United States, Canada, and Brazil.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The participants in the study all have the following characteristics:<\/p>\n\n\n\n