Inflammatory biomarker outcomes associated with MDMA-assisted therapy: an open-label exploratory study.
Frontiers in neuroscience January 1, 2026 Jenna E Kachmarik, Jennifer M Loftis, Christopher S Stauffer
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is linked to higher inflammation and chronic illness risk, but few studies have examined how PTSD interventions affect inflammatory biomarkers. In this pilot study, 23 Veterans with PTSD provided blood samples before and after MDMA-assisted group therapy. Small increases occurred in interleukin-6 (IL-6) and C-reactive protein (CRP), while tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) showed a small decrease. Higher baseline IL-6 and TNF-α were associated with more severe PTSD symptoms. IL-6 change correlated with symptom change, and higher baseline IL-6 weakly predicted symptom improvement. These preliminary results suggest MDMA-assisted therapy may influence inflammatory biomarkers and highlight relationships between biomarkers and PTSD symptoms.