Title:Sex-Dependent Synergism of an Edible THC: CBD Formulation in
Reducing Anxiety and Depressive-like Symptoms Following Chronic Stress
Volume: 22
Issue: 12
Author(s): Enzo Pérez-Valenzuela, Roger Hudson, Taygun Uzuneser, Marta De Felice, Hanna Szkudlarek, Walter Rushlow and Steven R. Laviolette*
Affiliation:
- Addiction Research Group, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, University of Western Ontario, Canada
- Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, University of Western Ontario,
Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, University of Western Ontario,
Canada
- Lawson Health Research Institute, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, University of Western Ontario,
Canada
Keywords:
Cannabis, THC, CBD, anxiety, depression, prefrontal cortex, nucleus accumbens, chronic stress.
Abstract: Cannabis has shown therapeutic potential in mood and anxiety-related pathologies. However,
the two primary constituents of cannabis, cannabidiol (CBD) and Δ-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)
produce distinct effects on molecular pathways in neural circuits associated with affective disorders.
Moreover, it has been proposed that the combination of THC: and CBD may have unique synergistic
properties. In the present study, the effects of a 1:100 THC: CBD ratio edible formulation were tested
in behavioural, neuronal and molecular assays for anxiety and depressive-like endophenotypes. Adult
male and female Sprague-Dawley rats were stressed for 14 days. Then, for three weeks, open field, elevated
plus maze, light/dark box, social interaction, sucrose preference, and the forced swim test were
performed 90 minutes after acute consumption of CBD (30 mg/kg), THC (0.3 mg/kg), or 1:100 combination
of THC:CBD. After behavioural tests, in vivo, neuronal electrophysiological analyses were
performed in the ventral tegmental area and prefrontal cortex (PFC). Furthermore, western-blot experiments
examined the expression of biomarkers associated with mood and anxiety disorders, including
protein kinase B (Akt), glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3), BDNF, mTOR, D1, and D2 receptor in
nucleus accumbens (NAc) and PFC.Edible THC:CBD produces significant anxiolytic and antidepressant
effects only in stressed male rats. In most cases, the combination of THC and CBD had stronger
effects than either phytochemical alone. These synergistic effects are associated with alterations in
Akt/GSK3 and D2-R expression in NAc and BDNF expression in PFC. Furthermore, THC:CBD reverses
chronic stress-induced alterations in PFC neuronal activity. These findings demonstrate a novel
synergistic potential for THC:CBD edible formulations in stress-related pathologies.