Related Experiment Video

Updated: Feb 10, 2026

Author Spotlight: A Pseudotype Virus System for Assessing Omicron Subvariants and Neutralizing Antibodies in SARS-CoV-2 Research

Author Spotlight: A Pseudotype Virus System for Assessing Omicron Subvariants and Neutralizing Antibodies in SARS-CoV-2 Research

Published on: September 8, 2023

HU308, A Selective Cannabinoid Type-2 Receptor Agonist, Mitigates SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein-Induced Acute Lung Injury

Janette Lockett¹, Gregory Nicholson¹, Nicholas Richards¹

¹Department of Biomedical and Translational Sciences, Macon & Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences, Eastern Virginia Medical School at Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA, 23507, USA.

|February 8, 2026

Abstract

Introduction:

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), continues to pose major health challenges despite effective vaccination efforts. The sustained occurrence of breakthrough infections and emerging variants of the virus highlights the need for additional therapeutic strategies. Given the anti-inflammatory role of the cannabinoid type 2 receptor (CB2R), we examined the effect of CB2R activation in SARS-CoV-2 spike protein subunit 1 (S1SP)-induced acute lung injury (ALI).

Methods:

ALI was induced in mice by intratracheal (i.t.) administration of S1SP, followed by treatment with the CB2R agonist HU308 (5 mg/kg, intraperitoneal: i.p.) 1 h post-S1SP and every 24 h thereafter. Lung function, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) parameters, cytokine levels, and inflammatory signaling were assessed at 48 h following S1SP exposure.

Results:

HU308 treatment significantly reduced S1SP-induced pulmonary dysfunction, immune cell infiltration, neutrophil activation, and proinflammatory cytokine production, while suppressing NF-κB and STAT3 activation. HU308 treatment restored the Nrf2 expression in the lung.

Conclusion:

CB2R activation ameliorates S1SP-induced lung inflammation and injury, suggesting its therapeutic potential against COVID-19-related ALI.

Keywords:

Acute lung injury Cannabinoid-2 receptor Cannabinoids SARS-CoV-2 spike protein subunit 1

More Related Videos

Live Imaging and Quantification of Viral Infection in K18 hACE2 Transgenic Mice Using Reporter-Expressing Recombinant SARS-CoV-2

Live Imaging and Quantification of Viral Infection in K18 hACE2 Transgenic Mice Using Reporter-Expressing Recombinant SARS-CoV-2

Published on: November 5, 2021

Detection of SARS-CoV-2 Receptor-Binding Domain Antibody using a HiBiT-Based Bioreporter

Detection of SARS-CoV-2 Receptor-Binding Domain Antibody using a HiBiT-Based Bioreporter

Published on: August 12, 2021

Related Concept Videos

Antiasthma Drugs: β2-Adrenoceptor Agonists

Antiasthma Drugs: β₂-Adrenoceptor Agonists

Bronchodilators are critical in managing asthma, a chronic respiratory condition characterized by airway constriction due to inflammation and hyper-reactivity. Specifically, bronchodilators ease this constriction by relaxing the bronchial muscles, facilitating easier breathing.
One class of bronchodilators includes β2-adrenoceptor agonists. These agents target the β2-adrenoceptors located on bronchial smooth muscle cells. By stimulating these receptors, β2-agonists induce...

Diabetes Mellitus: Type 2 and Gestational

Diabetes Mellitus: Type 2 and Gestational

Type 2 diabetes, characterized by insulin resistance, arises when the insulin receptors on cells lose responsiveness to insulin, diminishing the cell's capacity to take up glucose, resulting in elevated blood glucose levels. To receive a diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes, a series of blood glucose tests are necessary to assess whether the blood glucose falls within normal parameters. If the result is out of the normal range, a patient may be diagnosed as prediabetic or diabetic, depending on the...

Glucagon-like Receptor Agonists

Glucagon-like Receptor Agonists

Incretins include glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP), which stimulate insulin secretion post-meals. In type 2 diabetes, GIP's efficacy is reduced, making GLP-1 a viable drug target. GIP originates from preproGIP.
GLP-1, when administered in high doses intravenously, triggers insulin secretion, inhibits glucagon release, slows gastric emptying, reduces food intake, and restores normal insulin secretion. However, its rapid inactivation by...

meta-Directing Deactivators: –NO2, –CN, –CHO, –&NoBreak;CO2R, –COR, –CO2H

meta-Directing Deactivators: –NO₂, –CN, –CHO, –⁠CO₂R, –COR, –CO₂H

All meta-directing substituents are deactivating groups. These substituents withdraw electrons from the aromatic ring, making the ring less reactive toward electrophilic substitution. For example, the nitration of nitrobenzene is 100,000 times slower than that of benzene because of the deactivating effect of the nitro group. The first step in an electrophilic aromatic substitution is the addition of an electrophile to form a resonance-stabilized carbocation. The energy diagrams for...

Types of Selection

Types of Selection

Natural selection influences the frequencies of particular alleles and phenotypes within populations in several different ways. Primarily, natural selection can be directional, stabilizing, or disruptive. Directional selection favors one extreme trait and shifts the population towards that phenotype while selecting against individuals displaying alternate traits. Stabilizing selection favors an intermediate trait with a narrow range of variation. Deviation from the optimal phenotype towards an...

Drug-Receptor Interaction: Agonist

Drug-Receptor Interaction: Agonist

Agonists are drugs that interact with specific receptors in the body to produce a biological response. When an agonist binds to a receptor, it activates or enhances the receptor's function, leading to physiological effects. The interaction between agonist drugs and receptors is crucial for their therapeutic action in various medical treatments.
Agonists can bind to receptors in different ways. Some agonists bind directly to the receptor's active site, mimicking the endogenous...

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Fluid restriction after pediatric cardiac surgery is independently associated With shorter mechanical ventilation: a retrospective cohort study With adjustment for cardiopulmonary bypass time.

Frontiers in pediatrics·2026

Structure-Activity Relationship Studies Resulting in the Identification of Potent and Selective Salt-Inducible Kinase Inhibitors.

ACS medicinal chemistry letters·2026

Pharmacokinetic Characterization of the Gastrointestinal Acute Radiation Syndrome Mitigator YK-4-250 in Male and Female Mice Under Non-Irradiated and Partial Body Irradiation Conditions.

Research square·2026

Smoking, Diabetes, Workers' Compensation, and Traumatic Tears Are Risk Factors for Postoperative Shoulder Stiffness After Arthroscopic Rotator Cuff Repair.

Arthroscopy : the journal of arthroscopic & related surgery : official publication of the Arthroscopy Association of North America and the International Arthroscopy Association·2026

Effect of spatial resolution and heating duration on accuracy of dynamic proton resonance frequency shift temperature measurement with k-space weighted image contrast reconstruction during focused ultrasound.

Magnetic resonance imaging·2026

Deletion of STIM1 in Treg cells protects against lung fibrosis and associated cardiovascular complications in a pre-clinical mouse model.

Redox biology·2026

See all related articles