Two non-psychoactive compounds derived from cannabis have shown significant potential in treating fatty liver disease, a condition that affects roughly one in three adults worldwide and currently has no approved drug treatment, according to a peer-reviewed study published in the British Journal of Pharmacology.
Researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem found that Cannabidiol (CBD) and Cannabigerol (CBG) improved liver function in obese mice by altering how the organ manages energy and clears cellular waste, a process the team described as metabolic remodelling. Neither compound produces the psychoactive effects associated with cannabis.
The study was led by Professor Yossi Tam, who directs the university’s Multidisciplinary Center for Cannabinoid Research and heads its School of Pharmacy. The condition targeted by the research, formally known as Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease (MASLD), is the most common liver disorder globally, occurring when excess fat accumulates in the liver and triggers inflammation that can progress to permanent scarring, liver failure and other serious complications.
To test the compounds, Tam’s team fed laboratory mice a high-fat diet for 14 weeks to induce obesity, fatty liver disease and diabetes before treating the animals for 28 days while monitoring their metabolism.
The researchers found that both CBD and CBG increased liver levels of phosphocreatine, an energy molecule that acts as a cellular backup power reserve, helping counteract the energy depletion that drives liver cell damage in obese patients. The treatment also restored the activity of enzymes called cathepsins, which function as a cellular cleaning mechanism, enabling the liver to clear harmful fats and waste products. In addition, both compounds significantly reduced triglycerides and ceramides, harmful lipids closely associated with insulin resistance and liver inflammation.
A notable finding was that CBG also reduced total body fat mass and lowered overall cholesterol levels, a result Tam described as unexpected.
Ethan Russo, founder and chief executive of CReDO Science, who was not involved in the research, said the findings carry significant public health implications given that a third or more of adults in Western societies face risk of the disorder, which closely tracks the global obesity epidemic.
Tam said his team plans to pursue human clinical trials. The research was conducted with contributions from PhD student Radka Kočvarová, Dr. Liad Hinden, and scientists at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology.
