Chronic Treatment With Psilocybin Decreases Changes in Body Weight in a Rodent Model of Obesity
Frontiers in Psychiatry May 18, 2022 Joyce Huang, Michelle Pham, William J. Panenka et al. 19 citations
In a rat model of obesity, psilocybin—a prodrug for the serotonin receptor agonist psilocin—produced modest but significant reductions in weight gain compared to controls. Rats given a low (0.1 mg/kg) or high (5 mg/kg) dose of psilocybin gained less weight over 27 weekdays; the high dose also decreased consumption of a high-calorie diet and reduced central adiposity. Metformin (300 mg/kg) produced a greater decrease in weight gain than either psilocybin dose. A medium-dose psilocybin group was terminated early. Fasting glucose and glucose tolerance were also assessed. The authors recommend further study of psilocybin as a potential anti-obesity agent.