An interesting new study published in the peer-reviewed journal Microorganisms has found that low-doses of CBD inhibits the growth of Salmonella typhimurium.
Salmonella typhimurium illustration.
Salmonella Typhimurium is one of the most common and prevalent foodborne pathogens worldwide leading to diarrhea, vomiting, fever, and abdominal cramps. Effecting up to 1.3 million people each year with over 400 annual deaths in the U.S., the infection often results in hospitalization (an average of 26,500 a year).
For this new study researchers “utilized fluorescence microscopy, biological assays, and bacterial growth kinetics to determine the effectiveness of CBD-broad-spectrum antibiotic co-therapy against S. typhimurium.”
In doing so, researchers found that “CBD-antibiotic (combination of CBD and antibiotic) co-therapy can effectively fight Salmonella typhimurium (S. typhimurium) via membrane integrity disruption.” This research “serves to examine the potential synergy between CBD and three broad-spectrum antibiotics (ampicillin, kanamycin, and polymyxin B) for potential CBD-antibiotic co-therapy.”
In comparison to mono-treatment with ampicillin, kanamycin and polymyxin, for all three “it was observed that an addition of CBD resulted in a greater inhibition of S. typhimurium growth.”
To further quantify the effectiveness of CBD- antibiotic co-treatment and to compare mono-treatment to co-treatment, “percent inhibition was calculated from the checkerboard assay (Figure 4).”
These measures “further confirmed the synergy exhibited between both ampicillin and polymyxin B, with CBD. Additionally, this measure further suggests the indifferent activity between kanamycin and CBD. We observe significant increases in percent inhibition in both polymyxin B and ampicillin when in co-treatment with CBD, further suggesting the synergetic activity between these agents.”
Researchers conclude:
In this study, it is revealed that S. typhimurium growth is inhibited at very low dosages of CBD-antibiotic. This interesting finding demonstrates that CBD and CBD-antibiotic co-therapies are viable novel alternatives to combating S. typhimurium.
The full text of the study, which was funded by the United States Department of Education and the National Science Foundation, can be found by clicking here. The study’s abstract can be found below.
Abstract
New generation antibiotics are needed to combat the development of resistance to antimicrobials. One of the most promising new classes of antibiotics is cannabidiol (CBD). It is a non-toxic and low-resistance chemical that can be used to treat bacterial infections. The antibacterial activity of Cannabis sativa L. byproducts, specifically CBD, has been of growing interest in the field of novel therapeutics. As research continues to define and characterize the antibacterial activity that CBD possesses against a wide variety of bacterial species, it is important to examine potential interactions between CBD and common therapeutics such as broad-spectrum antibiotics. In this study it is demonstrated that CBD-antibiotic (combination of CBD and antibiotic) co-therapy can effectively fight Salmonella typhimurium (S. typhimurium) via membrane integrity disruption. This research serves to examine the potential synergy between CBD and three broad-spectrum antibiotics (ampicillin, kanamycin, and polymyxin B) for potential CBD-antibiotic co-therapy. In this study, it is revealed that S. typhimurium growth is inhibited at very low dosages of CBD-antibiotic. This interesting finding demonstrates that CBD and CBD-antibiotic co-therapies are viable novel alternatives to combating S. typhimurium.
