Therapeutic Properties of Ayahuasca Components in Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury of the Eye
Biomedicines April 26, 2022 Anna Szilágyi, Barbara Takács, Réka Szekeres et al. 10 citations
A study tested whether N’N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT), a psychedelic compound, could protect the retina from damage caused by ischemia (restricted blood flow) followed by reperfusion. Because DMT is rapidly broken down by monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A), it was given alongside harmaline (a MAO-A inhibitor found in the Amazonian brew ayahuasca). In rats whose eye blood flow was blocked for 60 minutes and then restored for 7 days, harmaline alone protected the retina from injury. Surprisingly, adding DMT counteracted that protection. The two drugs had opposing effects on proteins involved in cell death, inflammation, tissue breakdown, and oxidative stress. The results suggest harmaline may have therapeutic potential for ischemic eye diseases, while DMT's effects on eye ischemia warrant caution.