Cannabifuran for COVID-19

Recently, cannabinoids have gained scientific interest as a promising anti-infective natural product class, as reported in several studies. However, the existing knowledge is mainly limited to common cannabinoids like THC and CBD. Therefore, this study aims to fill the knowledge gap by investigating the anti-infective potential of nine selected cannabinoids (both common and rare cannabinoids): THC, CBD, CBC, CBE, CBF, CBG, CBL, CBN, and CBT against Clostridium perfringens and Influenza A (H5N1) neuraminidases and SARS-CoV-2 main protease and spike protein–human ACE2 interaction using a standard in vitro biochemical enzyme-binding assay. As a result, to the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to demonstrate the most promising effect of CBG over others in its class against C. perfringens and influenza A (H5N1) neuraminidases and SARS-CoV-2 main protease and spike protein–human ACE2 interaction. In comparison to CBG, CBD and THC were the second and third most promising candidates. Meanwhile, the other derivatives, such as CBC, CBE, CBF, CBL, CBN, and CBT, showed at least one anti-infective effect. Our findings during the early drug discovery process indicate a promising anti-infective potential of cannabinoids, which can be considered for further investigation in a biological setup.