Identifying drugs effective in the new
coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is crucial, pending a
vaccine against SARS-CoV2. We suggest the hypothesis that
cannabidiol (CBD), a non-psychotropic phytocannabinoid, has the potential to limit the severity and progression of the disease for several reasons:- (a) High-
cannabidiol Cannabis sativa extracts are able to down-regulate the expression of the two key receptors for SARS-CoV2 in several models of human epithelia, (b)
cannabidiol exerts a wide range of immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory effects and it can mitigate the uncontrolled
cytokine production responsible for
acute lung injury, (c) being a PPARĪ³ agonist, it can display a direct
antiviral activity and (d) PPARĪ³ agonists are regulators of fibroblast/myofibroblast activation and can inhibit the development of
pulmonary fibrosis, thus ameliorating lung function in recovered patients. We hope our hypothesis, corroborated by preclinical evidence, will inspire further targeted studies to test
cannabidiol as a support
drug against the
COVID-19 pandemic. LINKED ARTICLES: This article is part of a themed issue on The Pharmacology of
COVID-19. To view the other articles in this section visit http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bph.v177.21/issuetoc.