The Effect of Cannabis Extract on the Expression of Bax and Bcl-2 Genes in Adipose Tissue Cells in Adult Male Rats

Introduction: Today, obesity is one of the main public health problems worldwide due to the increased risk of cancer in obese people and the role of apoptosis in preventing diseases such as cancer. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effect of cannabis on the expression of Bax and Bcl-2 apoptotic genes in adipose tissue cells. Methods: In this experimental study, 32 adult male rats were divided into control groups (treated with saline) and 3 experimental groups treated intraperitoneally for one, two and three weeks with cannabis extract at a dose of 100 ng / kg. In each group, 24 hours after the last injection, adipose tissue was removed from the abdomen and the expression of bcl-2 and bax genes were examined by RT-PCR. Results: The results were analyzed using ANOVA and Tukey tests and the difference in data was considered significant at the level of P<0.05. The results of data analysis of this study showed that cannabis increased the expression of Bax apoptotic gene and decreased the expression of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 gene at the end of the first week at the level of P <0.05 and in the second and third weeks at the level of P <0.01 compared to The group is controlled. Conclusion:  The results of this study showed that cannabis extract reduces the expression of Bcl2 anti-apoptotic gene and decreases the expression of this gene increases the expression of Bax gene in adipose tissue cells.