Volume 59, Issue 326, February 2023

Increased brain and serum nuclear factor kappa-B levels by cannabis and tramadol

Omar ME Abdel-Salam^1♦, Eman R Youness²

¹Department of Toxicology and Narcotics, Medical Research and Clinical Studies Institute, National Research Centre, Cairo, Egypt
²Medical Biochemistry², Medical Research and Clinical Studies Institute, National Research Centre, Cairo, Egypt

^♦Corresponding author
Department of Toxicology and Narcotics, Medical Research and Clinical Studies Institute, National Research Centre, Tahrir St., Dokki, Cairo, Egypt

ABSTRACT

Nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) is transcription factor that controls the expression of several genes involved in inflammation and immunity. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the levels of NF-κB in brain and serum of rats treated with Cannabis sativa resin, tramadol or their combination. Rats were treated with cannabis resin extract (5, 10 or 20 mg/kg) (expressed as Δ⁹-tetrahydrocannabinol), tramadol (5, 10 or 20 mg/kg) or tramadol (10 mg/kg) combined with cannabis (5, 10 or 20 mg/kg) subcutaneously (s.c.) once a day, for 6 weeks. Results showed that NF-κB was significantly increased in the brain by 21.8-84.3% after treatment with 5-20 mg/kg cannabis and in serum by 37.7% and 70.8% after treatment with 10 or 20 mg/kg cannabis. NF-κB was also significantly increased in the brain by 25.7-48.2% following treatment with 5-20 mg/kg tramadol and in serum by 34.8% after 20 mg/kg tramadol. After the combined administration of both cannabis and tramadol, NF-κB levels were significantly raised in the brain by 45.5-101.2% and in serum by 40.7-91.8%. The increase in brain tissue and serum levels of NF-κB in rats treated with cannabis and/or tramadol suggest that NF-κB may play a role in the pathogenesis of neuronal injury by these drugs of abuse.

Keywords: Tramadol, cannabis, nuclear factor kappa-B, oxidative stress, neurodegeneration

Discovery, 2023, 59, e19d1015

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Published: February 2023