Pharmacodynamic effects of serotonin (5-HT) receptor ligands in pigs: stimulation of 5-HT2 receptors induces malignant hyperthermia.
Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's archives of pharmacology June 1, 1990 W Löscher, U Witte, G Fredow et al. 48 citations
Hallucinogenic drugs that activate serotonin-2 receptors can trigger malignant hyperthermia, a life-threatening syndrome involving severe muscle rigidity, rising body temperature, acidosis, and metabolic disturbances, in pigs genetically susceptible to the condition. The drugs DOI, 5-MeO-DMT, and LSD induced fatal reactions in susceptible pigs, while pigs from resistant littermates survived. Pretreatment with serotonin-2 antagonists ketanserin or ritanserin prevented death and reduced hyperthermia and metabolic changes. The fatal effect appears driven by a sharp rise in plasma potassium from damaged muscle cells. The findings suggest that these drugs pose a risk of triggering malignant hyperthermia in genetically susceptible individuals, and that serotonin-2 antagonists may counteract the syndrome's fatality.