Editor’s note (November 2026): This article, published in 2022, describes a single preclinical study in mice. The animals were given an ARDS-like lung injury with a synthetic viral-like RNA, not a coronavirus, and then received CBC by inhaler. As of November 2026, we found no published study of CBC for ARDS or COVID-19 in people. The research was partly funded by the company that supplied the inhalers, and the CBC was supplied by its manufacturer.
Cannabichromene (CBC) is a lesser-known, non-intoxicating cannabinoid that is piquing the interest of scientists due to its emerging therapeutic potential. Previous laboratory research has suggested that cannabinoids, including CBC, may influence neurogenesis, the process where new neurons are formed in the brain.[1] CBC has also been studied in bladder cancer cells. Its role in acute respiratory distress syndrome, or ARDS, however, has not been elucidated.
ARDS is a life-threatening condition whereby fluid from the blood vessels in the lungs leaks into the alveoli, which are air sacs where oxygen and carbon dioxide are exchanged during the process of breathing. ARDS may cause irreversible damage to the lungs. To date, there is no target-specific treatment for ARDS and therefore an alternative treatment that is safe and effective is welcome.
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the urgent need for an effective treatment of ARDS which is a complication of the viral infection. Researchers from Augusta University in Georgia recently investigated the potential of CBC in treating ARDS.[2] They did find some potential benefits which require further investigation.
The researchers offered inhalant CBC to mice with induced ARDS-like symptoms. A control group was offered a placebo. The experiment ran for eight days. Different assays and analytical tools were used including immunohistochemistry, flow cytometry, and statistical techniques including ANOVA (analysis of variance), and the Newman-Keuls post hoc test, both of which evaluate sample means.
In the mice, CBC reversed hypoxia (reduced oxygen content), reduced inflammation (about a 50% reduction in pro-inflammatory molecules called cytokines), and limited damage to lung tissue. On further analysis, the researchers suggested that CBC may act through two transient receptor potential (TRP) channels, TRPA1 and TRPV1, which are involved in sensing heat, pain and inflammation. A similar pattern was not observed in the mice that received the placebo.
Levels of TRPA1 and TRPV1 in the lungs were about five times higher in CBC-treated mice than in untreated mice, and the researchers concluded that inhaled CBC may be worth investigating as a treatment for ARDS. They hypothesized that “binding CBC to TRPs may downregulate the inflammatory responses by shifting the so-called “cytokine storm” to a “cytokine breeze,” re-establishing the homeostasis and preventing additional structural damages to the vital organs.” Human safety and efficacy trials would be needed to know whether any of this applies to people.
References
- Prenderville JA, Kelly ÁM, Downer EJ. The role of cannabinoids in adult neurogenesis. Br J Pharmacol. 2015;172(16):3950-3963. doi:10.1111/bph.13186 [journal impact factor: 8.39; times cited: 32]
- Khodadadi H, Salles ÉL, Shin E, et al. A potential role for cannabichromene in modulating TRP channels during acute respiratory distress syndrome. J Cannabis Res. 2021;3(1):45. Published 2021 Oct 1. doi:10.1186/s42238-021-00101-0 [journal impact factor: 5.800; times cited: 1]
Featured image: normal lung tissue (H&E stain), by Yale Rosen, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0; cropped and resized.
.jpg){kind=link}