Cannabinoid-blocking weight-loss drug might fight alcoholic fatty liver

NewsRx.com

The cannabinoid receptors best known for delivering the psychological effects of marijuana also explain the connection between chronic alcohol use and a buildup of fat in the liver, according to a report in the March issue of Cell Metabolism, a publication of Cell Press. Alcoholic fatty liver can progress to more serious disease, and alcoholism is a leading cause of liver disease in Western societies (see also Alcoholism).

The researchers also found that mice treated with rimonabant, a drug designed to block cannabinoid receptors, become resistant to alcohol’s fat-building effects in the liver. Rimonabant is now in use for weight loss in several European countries but has not received FDA approval for use in the United States.

“What makes these findings particularly interesting from our perspective is that they may have practical implications,” said George Kunos of the National Institute on…