Cannabinoid receptors as new targets of antifibrosing strategies during chronic liver diseases

Chronic liver injury exposes the patient to liver fibrosis and its end stage, cirrhosis, is a major public health problem worldwide. In western countries, prevailing causes of cirrhosis include chronic alcohol consumption, hepatitis C virus infection and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis. Current treatment of hepatic fibrosis is limited to withdrawal of the noxious agent. Nevertheless, suppression of the cause of hepatic injury is not always feasible and numerous efforts are directed at the development of liver-specific antifibrotic therapies. Along these lines, the authors recently demonstrated that the endocannabinoid system shows promise as a novel target for antifibrotic therapy during chronic liver injury. Indeed, cannabinoid receptors CB₁ and CB₂ promote dual pro- and antifibrogenic effects, respectively. Therefore, endocannabinoid-based therapies, combining CB₂ agonists and CB₁ antagonists may open novel therapeutic perspectives for the treatment of chronic liver diseases.