Two non-psychoactive cannabis compounds, cannabidiol (CBD) and cannabigerol (CBG), could offer new treatment options for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), according to research published in the British Journal of Pharmacology.
The study, following on from prior preclinical research, found that the cannabinoids improved blood sugar control, reduced fatty buildup in the liver, and helped restore the organ’s ability to store energy and eliminate toxins in mice with the condition.
Researchers from the School of Pharmacy at the Faculty of Medicine of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem administered the compounds to mice that had developed MASLD after 14 weeks on a high-fat diet.
The mice were administered CBD and CBG via injections into the peritoneum (the membrane covering the abdominal organs) for four weeks.
Following treatment, the mice underwent multiple assessments, including body weight, energy expenditure, food and water intake, insulin sensitivity, serum analyses, and VLDL-triglyceride profiling.
The researchers said their study was the first to show cannabinoids could alter how the liver stores energy. This is when the liver’s mechanisms for storing energy are altered, in this case by CBD and CBG treatment, enabling more energy to be available for use by the body.
CBD and CBG were found to improve blood sugar control by helping liver cells manage energy and clear harmful fats, which likely restores insulin sensitivity and normal glucose regulation.
The study also showed that the cannabinoids could reduce fat inside the liver.
Fatty buildup in the liver, called steatosis, can be caused by diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, excessive alcohol intake, and other causes. Both cannabinoids lowered the amount of triglycerides and other harmful fats in the livers of the studied mice.
Additionally, the cannabinoids appeared to reboot the liver’s cellular cleaning system. Through the reactivation of cathepsins, a family of enzymes that break down proteins to help cleanse cells, CBD and CBG were found to aid the liver in the removal of harmful fats and other toxins.
Due to the study being one of the first to investigate the usefulness of the phytocannabinoids CBD and CBG to combat MASLD and to contribute towards the healthy function of the liver, researchers recommended that more research should be done to assess how well these results translate when tested on humans. “Further studies are needed to assess the translatability of this metabolic remodelling in human MASLD, including the impact of phytocannabinoid pharmacokinetics and delivery route,” the study authors said.
The findings suggest that CBD and CBG could represent a new approach to treating fatty liver disease, though human trials will be necessary to confirm their effectiveness and safety.