(Photo credit: turk_stock_photographer).

Tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV) and cannabidiol (CBD) both reduced voluntary alcohol consumption among male rats with a long history of drinking, according to a new long-term animal study from Vilnius University.

The research examined whether the two cannabis compounds affect different components of alcohol consumption, including the motivation to begin drinking and the reinforcing effects that encourage continued consumption. The thesis was completed by Ceyda Türkcan through the university’s Life Sciences Center.

“Current pharmacological treatments provide only modest benefit,” the abstract states, noting that the endocannabinoid system and cannabinoid type 1 receptors help regulate both the motivational and pleasurable components of alcohol reinforcement.

Researchers used 60 two-month-old male Wistar rats that were provided continuous access to water and a 10% ethanol solution for six to eight months. The animals with the highest alcohol intake were then transferred to chambers equipped with optical sensors that recorded individual licks.

The researchers measured total consumption as well as the number, size and duration of drinking bouts and the rate at which the animals licked. A drinking bout was defined as at least 20 licks, with no more than 60 seconds between individual licks.

THCV was administered at doses of 5 or 20 milligrams per kilogram, while CBD was administered at doses of 20 or 40 milligrams per kilogram. Each testing period included three baseline days, three treatment days and two post-treatment days.

THCV significantly reduced total alcohol intake in a dose-dependent manner without significantly changing water consumption. However, it did not reduce the number of times the animals began drinking alcohol.

Instead, THCV reduced the size of individual alcohol-drinking bouts while increasing the size and duration of water-drinking bouts. The findings suggest that THCV reduced alcohol’s reinforcing or pleasurable effects rather than eliminating the motivation to initiate drinking.

CBD also reduced daily alcohol consumption, but its effects on drinking behavior differed from those associated with THCV. CBD did not cause a pronounced reduction in the size or duration of alcohol-drinking bouts. Instead, it reduced the rate at which the animals licked the alcohol solution while increasing their water-licking rate.

“These divergent microstructural trends suggest that THCV and CBD may engage dissociable mechanisms in the regulation of voluntary alcohol consumption,” the abstract states.

The author said the results support further investigation of both compounds as potential treatments for alcohol use disorder. However, the research was conducted exclusively in male rats and was presented as a master’s thesis rather than a peer-reviewed clinical study, meaning human trials would be required to determine whether the effects translate to people.