(CN) – For as long as modern medicine has treated infections with antibiotics, it has been entangled in an arms race against antibiotic resistant bacteria. Now scientists are considering a new weapon against these so-called superbugs: marijuana.
An Australian researcher presented work Sunday at the annual meeting of the American Society for Microbiology assessing anti-bacterial properties in cannabidiol, or CBD, a non-psychoactive compound naturally derived from marijuana. Researchers believe CBD could be used to treat common strains of Staphyloccocus aureus and Streptococcus pneumonia that are resistant to many drugs currently on the market.
In addition to expanding the number of known bacteria CBD can kill, Mark Blaskovich, senior research chemist at the University of Queensland’s Institute for Molecular Bioscience’s Center for Superbug Solutions tested how long CBD’s effectiveness lasted against superbugs, finding that many bacteria were slow or unable to adapt new resistance—a phenomena that requires further research to understand.
“We don’t know how it works and that’s the interesting thing that we need to do further investigations into. It might be unique mechanism of action or it might be one that is used by other antibiotics and we just haven’t identified it,” Blaskovich said in an interview.
“Given cannabidiol’s documented anti-inflammatory effects, existing safety data in humans, and potential for varied delivery routes, it is a promising new antibiotic worth further investigation,” Blaskovich said. “The combination of inherent antimicrobial activity and potential to reduce damage caused by the inflammatory response to infections is particularly attractive.”