Regulation of innate immunity in non-immune and immune cells by cannabidiol

Viruses spread by hijacking cells of the body, turning them into little 'virus-making factories.' Although immune cells are eventually recruited, all cells (both non-immune cells like lung and digestive tract cells, and also immune cells) have an innate ability to defend themselves when a virus tries to get inside. Factors that make those defenses strong will help repel a virus before it takes hold, raising the amount of virus needed to infect people, and reducing the number who get sick. Researchers recently found the chance of getting COVID-19 was a lot lower in people taking cannabidiol (also called CBD). My lab studies CBD and has found it completely stops the infection of mice with a common virus called adenovirus, and strongly reduces infection of cells with an HIV-like virus. We found that CBD protects cells, in part, by stopping viruses from hiding from a major anti-viral system called cGAS-STING. We propose to test the anti-viral effects of CBD in mice and human cells using a variety of viruses, including adenovirus, RSV and HIV, to find whether it is better to give CBD before or after infection, or both, and whether CBD works equally well with different virus types. We will also test if there are differences between males and females in how well CBD helps, and how much of the protective effect of CBD is mediated through the cGAS-STING system. In Canada, adults legally consume CBD in beverages, foods, candies, and in some hemp cooking oils sold in grocery stores. In America, CBD is approved by the FDA for use in infants as young as 1 year old. Since it considered safe and could be made widely available in the event of a virus emergency, we will also test whether CBD protects against a very dangerous new form of bird flu. Results from this work are expected to help develop a new, safe, cost-effective food component to fight viral infections both in emergencies and at normal times, when viruses still cause sickness and death in Canada.