Researchers say modified version of CBD could help reverse fentanyl effects
CTV
Researchers at Indiana University say a modified version of cannabidiol, a chemical found in cannabis, could help reverse the effects of overdoses from drugs such as fentanyl.
Researchers at Indiana University say a modified version of cannabidiol, a chemical found in cannabis, could help reverse the effects of overdoses from drugs such as fentanyl.
In the study published in the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry on July 12, researchers hoped that the new discovery could lead to a new way to reverse overdoses either through a new product or by working synchronously with naloxone.
According to the Canadian government’s website, an average of 20 people die per day due to apparent opioid toxicity, with synthetic opioids like fentanyl being a major contributor. While naloxone is widely used as an antidote for opiate overdoses, it is found to be less effective against the synthetic opioids in the fentanyl category.
Researchers say in order to counteract the effects of an overdose, your body's opioid receptors need something else to bind to.
"The synthetic opiates bind very tightly to the opioid receptors," senior research scientist for the Gill Center for Biomolecular Science Alex Straiker said in a press release published on Tuesday.
"Naloxone must compete with opioids for the same binding site in the central nervous system to cancel out an overdose. But during a fentanyl overdose, naloxone and fentanyl bind to different sites, meaning there is no competition. We wanted to see if a negative allosteric modulator could reverse the fentanyl effects."
According to the University of Michigan, an allosteric modulator is a molecule that interacts with other molecules to the degree that it affects their behaviour.
Pressure is increasing on the provincial government to tap into the underused tolled Highway 407 to unclog congestion on Highway 401.
The first big snowfall of the season is blanketing towns in upstate New York along lakes Erie and Ontario in the middle of the hectic holiday travel and shopping weekend, while numbing cold and heavy snow could persist into next week and cause hazards in the Great Lakes, Plains and Midwest regions.
Researchers in Montreal have made a breakthrough discovery in HIV research by finding a way to expel the virus from its hiding places and destroy it.
Concerns about the safety of candles are rooted in the chemical reactions that occur when you burn them, as well as in the artificial fragrances and colorants that contribute to the various scents you may love.