Open AccessCannabidiol (CBD) modulation of apelin in acute respiratory distress syndrome
Author(s) -
Salles Évila Lopes,
Khodadadi Hesam,
Jarrahi Abbas,
Ahluwalia Meenakshi,
Paffaro Valdemar Antonio,
Costigliola Vincenzo,
Yu Jack C.,
Hess David C.,
Dhandapani Krishnan M.,
Baban Babak
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of cellular and molecular medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.44
H-Index - 130
eISSN - 1582-4934
pISSN - 1582-1838
DOI - 10.1111/jcmm.15883
Subject(s) - cannabidiol , apelin , ards , medicine , acute respiratory distress , immunology , pharmacology , lung , receptor , cannabis , psychiatry
Considering lack of target‐specific antiviral treatment and vaccination for COVID‐19, it is absolutely exigent to have an effective therapeutic modality to reduce hospitalization and mortality rate as well as to improve COVID‐19‐infected patient outcomes. In a follow‐up study to our recent findings indicating the potential of Cannabidiol (CBD) in the treatment of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), here we show for the first time that CBD may ameliorate the symptoms of ARDS through up‐regulation of apelin, a peptide with significant role in the central and peripheral regulation of immunity, CNS, metabolic and cardiovascular system. By administering intranasal Poly (I:C), a synthetic viral dsRNA, while we were able to mimic the symptoms of ARDS in a murine model, interestingly, there was a significant decrease in the expression of apelin in both blood and lung tissues. CBD treatment was able to reverse the symptoms of ARDS towards a normal level. Importantly, CBD treatment increased the apelin expression significantly, suggesting a potential crosstalk between apelinergic system and CBD may be the therapeutic target in the treatment of inflammatory diseases such as COVID‐19 and many other pathologic conditions.