CORVALLIS — New research from Oregon State University reveals hemp might offer protection from COVID-19, adding to the list of potential benefits for the versatile crop.

A major use of hemp comes from deriving chemical compounds in the plant, called cannabinoids, which can then be infused in products such as oils, creams and oral supplements. Growing evidence suggests these cannabinoids can help with everything from relieving pain and anxiety to stimulating appetite in cancer patients.

According to a recently published OSU study, two such compounds — specifically cannabigerolic acid, or CBGA, and cannabidiolic acid, or CBDA — also can block SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, from entering human cells and preventing severe illness.

Richard van Breemen, a professor of pharmaceutical sciences at the Linus Pauling Institute and OSU College of Pharmacy, led the study. He said hemp is not a cure for COVID-19, nor is it a replacement for face masks and vaccines, but “another piece in the armor to help people stay healthy.”

“It’s going to help people. At least that’s my hope,” van Breemen said.

The way CBGA and CBDA work against the virus is similar to vaccines and other antibodies, van Breemen said. By binding themselves to the virus’ signature spike proteins, the acids essentially cut off a key pathway of infection.

Van Breemen and his research team began investigating hemp molecules in early 2020. At the time, lab access at OSU was restricted to coronavirus-related research.

“We looked for compounds that could bind to the spike protein, and hopefully prevent the virus from infecting the human cell,” van Breemen said.

Using a form of mass spectrometry developed previously in the lab, the team screened for compounds across a range of botanicals and hemp extracts. They identified CBGA and CBDA as having the highest affinity for binding to spike proteins in SARS-CoV-2.

But their lab work could only go so far, since they were unable to test the compounds on live virus samples. For that, the team partnered with Fikadu Tafesse at Oregon Health & Science University in Portland.

Results showed CBGA and CBDA were equally effective against the virus and two early variants. However, Breemen said more testing is needed to gauge effectiveness against other existing and future virus mutations, including the highly contagious omicron variant.

“These variants are well known for evading antibodies against early lineage SARS-CoV-2, which is obviously concerning given that current vaccination strategies rely on the early lineage spike protein as an antigen,” Breemen said.

“Our data show CBDA and CBGA are effective against the two variants we looked at, and we hope that trend will extend to other existing and future variants,” he added.

Another compound in licorice also was found to bind to the spike proteins during the initial screening of botanicals, Breemen said, but has not yet been tested against the live virus. “We need new funding for that,” he said.

CBDA and CBGA are abundant in hemp extracts, and may actually require less processing than cannabidiol, or CBD, one of the more commonly marketed cannabinoids.

Van Breemen, who serves on the faculty for OSU’s Global Hemp Innovation Center, said the compounds, if taken orally, appear to offer a degree of protection and could increase demand for hemp production.

“What we do know about these cannabinoid products is they have a good safety profile. People are taking them already,” he said. “I think in the long term, what we need are different therapeutic agents, drugs and treatments that work by a variety of mechanisms.”