The cannabis plant contains two powerful compounds that, in new research, reversed fatty liver disease in mice without causing any toxicity.
A study earlier this month in British Journal of Pharmacologyled by scientists at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Israel, discovered that both CBD (cannabidiol) such as CBG (cannabigerol) may improve blood sugar control, reduce fat in the liver and lower blood lipid levels in obese mice.
Interestingly, as detailed by , both plant compounds achieved these results mainly independently of classical cannabinoid receptors, which are key regulators of communication between the intestine and liver.
Instead, daily injections of CBD or CBG into the abdomen of mice increased phosphocreatine productiona form of creatine released by the liver to help replenish energy reserves and maintain cellular health.
After mice are fed a high-fat diet, CBD and CBG restored some liver function after four weeks.
CBG has proven to be particularly effective, reducing body fat, lowering “bad” cholesterol and increasing insulin sensitivity in obese mice significantly more than CBD.
“This dual metabolic remodeling contributes to better hepatic lipid processing and highlights these compounds as promising therapeutic agents for steatotic liver disease associated with metabolic dysfunction (MASLD)“, said the study leader, Joseph Tamat Science Alert.
MASLD occurs when fat builds up in the liver. It is distinct from alcohol-related liver disease and has become the most common chronic liver disorder in the world, affecting about a third of the global adult population.
But, explains the same magazine, MASLD is not just a liver condition; is also a systemic metabolic disorder and in recent years, animal studies have suggested that natural bioactive compounds from the cannabis plant may have potential as treatments.
CBD is one of the best-known and most studied compounds in the cannabis plant, and although research is still limited and contradictory, some studies suggest that this compound may have beneficial metabolic effects.
CBG, meanwhile, has only recently emerged as an alternative cannabis compound with the potential to improve health outcomes even more than CBD. It is sometimes nicknamed the “mother of all cannabinoids” because it quickly metabolizes into CBD and the psychoactive cannabis compound, THC.
Neither CBD nor CBG appear to be active in the central nervous system (at least in the purest forms), which means that alone do not trigger a “euphoric effect” in human patients like THC does. This is another benefit to its potential use as a medicine.
“This study is the first to demonstrate that phytocannabinoids can reprogram hepatic energy buffering”, praise the study authors.
