RotaChrom Chromatography Device Used In Recent COVID-19 Research

Research and Development for New Ways to Fight Covid

Centrifugal Partition Chromatography Sample Purification

Conclusions and Outcomes

COVID-19 became an unfortunate part of our lives in 2019 December. Originating in Wuhan, China, the virus caused a drawn-out, global pandemic. Scientists, researchers, and healthcare professionals around the world keep looking for innovative solutions to fight the threat. We’re honored that in a recent COVID-19 research, RotaChrom’s Centrifugal Partition Chromatography (CPC) technology was a key piece of the puzzle. The scientists used our rCPC machine for a critical part of the research.

In an article recently published on Frontiers, researchers in Porto, Portugal experimented with a combination of CBD and terpenes. They set out to combine the anti-inflammatory qualities of CBD with the anti-microbiological properties of terpenes. Their goal was to see if this combination can reduce COVID-19’s infectivity.

SARS-CoV-2 urged the medical community to find new compounds with antiviral or virucide activities. At the time of writing this article, vaccines and preventive methods are the best and most effective ways of fighting COVID-19. Natural plant extracts and compounds gained attention among researchers as a method to inhibit coronavirus reproduction. Terpenes are one example of these natural products which the scientists used in their research.

“Since terpenes are known to act as enhancing phytocannabinoid action, it is intended to query the action of a group of specific terpenes as virucide or antiviral agents acting in entourage effect with their selves and with the CBD as a therapeutic agent modulating inflammation. In detail, to exploit the biological action of the formulations on virus infectivity, it is a goal to understand their potential effect to act i) as a virucide agent blocking and inactivating the virus at early stages of infection, ii) as an antiviral agent blocking the virus cellular machinery, iii) as an agent against an overactive immune-inflammatory cascade at later stages of infection,” say the researchers.

The scientists used RotaChrom’s rCPC machine to purify a sample of CBD. According to the publication, they achieved close to 99.5% purity. They internally developed and optimized a combination and ratio of solvents to use in the process.

RotaChrom’s rCPC uses Centrifugal Partition Chromatography, a liquid-liquid chromatography technique. The method uses two immiscible liquid phases as mobile and stationary phases. In the CPC system, cells are attached to a rotor, which acts as the chromatographic column. A strong centrifugal force immobilizes the liquid stationary phase which then acts as the stationary phase.

RotaChrom developed the world’s first industrial-scale CPC technique, which can process up to 20 kg of crude input material per day. The technology allows exceptional flexibility besides other benefits, as the solvent system is easily customizable to fit specific purposes.

Read more about RotaChrom and CPC here.

The researchers showed the virucide qualities of CBD and terpene-based formulations: “F2TC reduces the infectivity by 17%, 24%, and 99% for CaCo-2, HaCat, and A549, respectively, and F1TC by 43%, 37%, and 29% for Hek293T, HaCaT, and Caco-2, respectively. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first approach that tackles the combination of CBD with a specific group of terpenes against SARS-CoV-2 in different cell lines. The differential effectiveness of formulations according to the cell line can be relevant to understanding the pattern of virus infectivity and the host inflammation response, and lead to new therapeutic strategies,” say the scientists.

The research outcomes suggest these formulations can be used effectively to fight COVID-19. CBD and terpenes may be worth considering in future coronavirus treatment researches.

Source: Cannabidiol and Terpene Formulation Reducing SARS-CoV-2 Infectivity Tackling a Therapeutic Strategy.