Recreational MDMA doses do not elicit hepatotoxicity in HepG2 spheroids under normo- and hyperthermia.
Toxicology March 1, 2024 Arthur L de Oliveira, Raul G Miranda, Daniel J Dorta 1 citation
MDMA (ecstasy) at recreational doses does not cause liver cell damage in a 3D human liver cell model, even under hyperthermia. The study used HepG2 spheroids to test MDMA's hepatotoxicity and found no significant reduction in cell viability, no increase in reactive oxygen species, no loss of mitochondrial membrane potential, no cell cycle arrest, and no apoptotic cell death. These results support further preclinical research into MDMA's safety for both harm reduction and therapeutic use, as non-abusive recreational and therapeutic doses overlap.