Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41117396›Full record

ArticleLiver international : official journal of the International Association for the Study of the Liver2025

The Cannabinoid System as a Potential Novel Target for Alcohol-Associated Liver Disease: A Propensity-Matched Cohort Study.

Butros Fakhoury, Vinay Jahagirdar, Kaanthi Rama, David Hudson, Wei Wang, Luis Antonio Díaz, Juan Pablo Arab

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Liver international : official journal of the International Association for the Study of the Liver, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Butros FakhouryDepartment of Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-6909-6328
Vinay JahagirdarDivision of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, Department of Internal Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virsginia, USA.
Kaanthi RamaDivision of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, Department of Internal Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virsginia, USA.
David HudsonDivision of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Schulich School of Medicine, Western University & London Health Sciences Centre, London, Ontario, Canada.
Wei WangDepartment of Medicine, St. Mary's Hospital, Waterbury, Connecticut, USA.
Luis Antonio DíazDepartamento de Gastroenterología, Escuela de Medicina, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile.ORCID 0000-0002-8540-4930
Juan Pablo ArabDivision of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, Department of Internal Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virsginia, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-8561-396X

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAlcohol-associated liver disease (ALD) is a leading cause of liver-related morbidity and mortality, yet effective therapeutic options remain limited. Preclinical data suggest that modulation of the hepatic endocannabinoid system, particularly via cannabidiol (CBD), may reduce alcohol-induced liver injury. Due to CBD's limited clinical use, we sought to evaluate the association between cannabis use and ALD risk among patients with alcohol use disorder (AUD).

methodsUsing the TriNetX US Collaborative Network, we identified adult patients with AUD between 2010 and 2022. Three cohorts were constructed: cannabis use disorder (CUD), cannabis users without cannabis abuse or dependence (CU) and non-cannabis users (non-CU). Outcomes included ALD, hepatic decompensation and composite all-cause mortality over 3 years. Incidence and hazard ratios were calculated using Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox regression.

resultsAfter matching, 33 114 patients were included in each of the CUD and non-CU groups. Compared to non-CU, CUD was associated with a lower risk of ALD (HR 0.60, 95% CI 0.53-0.67; p < 0.001), hepatic decompensation (HR 0.83, 95% CI 0.73-0.95; p =0.005) and all-cause mortality (HR 0.86, 95% CI 0.80-0.94; p < 0.001) among individuals with AUD. Although CU was associated with lower risks of ALD, its risks of hepatic decompensation and all-cause mortality were similar to those of the non-CU cohort with AUD.

conclusionIn this propensity-matched cohort study of patients with AUD, cannabis use was associated with a reduced risk of ALD, with the greatest risk reduction seen in patients with CUD compared to CU and non-CU. Our findings suggest that modulation of cannabinoid receptors may offer a new target for the development of pharmacological therapies for ALD.

Indexed as

AlcoholismCannabidiolLiver Diseases, AlcoholicMarijuana AbuseAdultCannabinoidsCohort StudiesFemaleHumansIncidenceKaplan-Meier EstimateMaleMiddle AgedPropensity ScoreProportional Hazards ModelsUnited StatesCannabidiolCannabinoidscannabidiolendocannabinoid systemfibrogenesishepatic stellate cellslipogenesis

Identifiers

PMID41117396
PMCPMC12539074

What Socratic holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.