THE EFFECT OF PSILOCYBIN AND EUGENOL ON LIPOPOLYSACCHARIDE INDUCED INFLAMMATION IN SMALL AND LARGE INTESTINE OF MICE
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) – March 01, 2026
Source: OpenAlex
Summary
Psilocybin and eugenol show promise in reducing intestinal inflammation, particularly in the large intestine. In experiments involving lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to induce inflammation, psilocybin effectively reduced inflammatory cytokines pre- and post-treatment in the large intestine, while it was effective only post-treatment in the small intestine. Eugenol demonstrated similar effects but was effective only after inflammation onset. Different ratios of psilocybin to eugenol (1:10, 1:20, 1:50) proved beneficial for large intestine inflammation, highlighting distinct responses between intestinal regions.
Abstract
Intestinal inflammation is a complex gastrointestinal condition, arising from immune dysfunction, epithelial cell abnormalities, and gut microbiota imbalances. Intestinal inflammation contributes to many pathological conditions, including irritable bowel disease and depression. This study seeks to find the potential anti-inflammatory properties of psilocybin and eugenol in systemic intestinal inflammation induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS). We evaluated the impact of these compounds on inflammatory cytokine levels in intestinal tissues in pre- and post-treatment with LPS. We found that LPS induces inflammation to a greater degree in the large intestinal tissues as compared to the small intestine. We also found that psilocybin was effective in reducing the inflammation in pre- and post-treatment in large intestine, while only effective in post-treatment in small intestine. Eugenol was only effective in reducing inflammation in post-treatment experiments in both tissues. Finally, in the large intestine, different ratios of psilocybin to eugenol (1:10, 1:20 and 1:50) were shown to be effective in reducing inflammation, while only certain ratios worked in the small intestine and were less effective. Our work demonstrates that small and large intestines respond to LPS-induced inflammation in a different manner and that psilocybin and eugenol are more efficient in reducing inflammation in the large intestine and when applied after the induction of inflammation.