the effect of resistance training and cannabis extract supplementation on the expression of pi3k/akt/mtor signaling pathway genes in the pancreas of obese male rats

Background and aims: obesity has become a worldwide epidemic and is a major public health concern. this study aimed to evaluate the effect of resistance training and cannabis extract supplementation on the expression of pi3k/akt/mtor signaling pathway genes in the pancreas of obese male rats. methods: thirty male wistar rats (twelve weeks old and weighing 180–200 g) were chosen for examination. the animals were randomly assigned to healthy control, obese control, supplement, exercise, and exercise+supplement groups (n=6 per group). the exercise protocol involved ladder climbing on a custom-built rodent apparatus set at an 80° incline, measuring 110 cm in height with 2 cm-spaced rungs. the supplement, initially in solid form, was dissolved in distilled water and orally administered via gavage at a dose of 4 mg/kg body weight, five times a week for eight weeks. the data were statistically analyzed using one-way anova followed by tukey's post hoc test to assess group differences (p<0.05). results: obesity significantly decreased mtor (p=0.001), pi3k (p=0.001), and akt (p=0.001) expression. resistance training significantly increased all three (p=0.001), while cannabis alone elevated pi3k (p=0.006) and akt (p=0.001) but not mtor. combined treatment significantly restored mtor, pi3k, and akt levels close to those of healthy controls (p=0.001). conclusion: the results revealed that obesity reduced the expression of akt, pi3k, and mtor in the pancreas of obese rats. however, resistance training and cannabis administration increased their expression levels.