Dangerous Rise in Blood Anandamide Levels Could Be Fueling Lung Damage in COVID-19 Pneumonia
Nikhil Prasad Fact checked by:Thailand Medical News Team Jun 10, 2025 1 week, 1 day, 16 hours, 1 minute ago
Thailand Medical News: In a major discovery that could change how scientists and doctors understand lung damage caused by COVID-19, researchers from top American institutions have uncovered a disturbing biological link that may be worsening outcomes in patients suffering from severe COVID-19 pneumonia with respiratory failure.
Dangerous Rise in Blood Anandamide Levels Could Be Fueling Lung Damage in COVID-19 Pneumonia
The new research, conducted by teams from the U.S. National Institutes of Health, University of Chicago, The Permanente Medical Group, Thomas Jefferson University, and the University of Colorado School of Medicine, has found that patients battling acute COVID-19 pneumonia had unusually high levels of a natural compound in the body known as anandamide (AEA). This compound, which is part of the body’s endocannabinoid system and interacts with the cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1R), was found in far greater amounts in COVID-19 patients than in those with non-COVID-related respiratory failure and even compared to healthy individuals.
This
Thailand Medical News report highlights the danger posed by this internal chemical. Anandamide, which mimics the effects of cannabis in the brain and body, is known to trigger inflammation and tissue damage when it becomes overactive.
The researchers also discovered that another endocannabinoid, 2-arachidonyl glycerol (2AG), was also significantly elevated in the blood of COVID-19 patients. These elevated levels were found to strongly correlate with multiple inflammatory markers in the blood, suggesting a dangerous inflammatory storm could be at play.
Using advanced tools like liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and Luminex assays, scientists were able to pinpoint these elevated endocannabinoid levels from blood samples collected at various stages of illness. The results point to the possibility that this overstimulated endocannabinoid system might be one of the key reasons why some COVID-19 patients develop long-term breathing problems and lung scarring.
The study suggests that the CB1 receptor, which is already known to be overexpressed in the lungs of those who died from COVID-19 pneumonia, may play a bigger role in worsening lung inflammation and preventing proper healing. By connecting the dots between high levels of anandamide, CB1 receptor overactivity, and poor lung outcomes, the researchers have opened the door to potentially new treatment strategies that target this pathway.
Conclusion
This study offers strong evidence that high circulating levels of anandamide and 2AG during the acute phase of COVID-19 pneumonia are likely contributing to the severe inflammation and lung damage seen in many patients. These findings suggest that blocking the endocannabinoid/CB1R pathway could potentially reduce tissue damage and improve outcomes in those with COVID-19 pneumonia.
More importantly, this di
scovery helps explain why some individuals develop long-term respiratory issues after the initial infection has passed. Targeting this pathway may provide a much-needed therapeutic option to protect lung function in current and future COVID-19 cases.
The study findings were published in the peer reviewed journal: The American Journal of the Medical Sciences.
https://www.amjmedsci.org/article/S0002-9629(25)01070-5/fulltext
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