Delving into the death signaling pathway of hemp oil and gamma radiation in solid tumor bearing mice

Many studies reported the diverse therapeutic potential of essential oils. They have a crucial role in cancer prevention and treatment. Antioxidant, antimutagenic, and antiproliferative are mechanisms involved. Also, essential oils may enhance immune function and surveillance, induce enzymes, enhance detoxification, and modulate multidrug resistance. Hemp oil, obtained from Cannabis sativaL. seeds, is known for its health-enhancing properties and bioactivity. Adult female Swiss albino mice were injected with viable Ehrlich ascites carcinoma cells (2.5 × 10⁶ cells/mouse), and then administered with hemp oil (20 mg/kg) daily for 10 consecutive days pre-, and then 10 days post-exposure to 6 Gy whole-body gamma irradiation. Hemp oil significantly increased Beclin1, VMP1, LC3, cytochrome c, and Bax. More interestingly, Hemp oil showed a significant decrease in Bcl2 and P13k either alone or in combination with γ radiation. Finally, this study documented the possible role of hemp oil in inducing two cell death types, autophagy and apoptosis, as it may be applied as an adjuvant in cancer treatment.