Psychedelics As A New Anti‐Inflammatory Therapeutic For Atherosclerosis
C. Nichols, Melaine N. Sebastian, Thomas W. Flanagan
The FASEB Journal April 1, 2017 Peer reviewed DOI: 10.1096/fasebj.31.1_supplement.825.3 via Semantic Scholar
Summary
A psychedelic compound, (R)-DOI, which activates serotonin 5-HT2A receptors, was tested for therapeutic effects in a mouse model of atherosclerosis using ApoE-deficient mice fed a high-fat diet. The study examined whether (R)-DOI could reduce atherosclerosis, building on previous findings that (R)-DOI prevents allergic asthma by inhibiting specific inflammatory pathways in innate and Th2 cells, rather than through generalized anti-inflammatory effects.
Study at a glance
| Design | observational cohort |
|---|---|
| Population | ApoE −/− high-fat model of atherosclerosis in mice |
| Key finding | The therapeutic effects of (R)-DOI were examined in the ApoE −/− high-fat model of atherosclerosis. |
Abstract
We previously discovered that serotonin 5‐HT2A receptor activation with psychedelics has potent anti‐inflammatory activity in both cell culture and whole animals, which indicated potent anti‐inflammatory effects in vascular tissues among others. More recently we found that the psychedelic (R)‐DOI potently prevents the development of allergic asthma in a mouse model. The effects of (R)‐DOI were found to not result from a generalized anti‐inflammatory process, but due to specific inflammatory pathways inhibition in both innate and Th2 cells. In this work, we have examined the therapeutic effects of the psychedelic (R)‐DOI in the ApoE −/− high‐fat model of atherosclerosis.