Psychedelics As A New Anti‐Inflammatory Therapeutic For Atherosclerosis
The FASEB Journal April 1, 2017 C. Nichols, Melaine N. Sebastian, Thomas W. Flanagan
Activating the serotonin 5-HT2A receptor with the psychedelic (R)-DOI reduces inflammation in a mouse model of atherosclerosis. In ApoE-deficient mice fed a high-fat diet, (R)-DOI treatment slowed atherosclerotic plaque development. The anti-inflammatory effect was specific to certain inflammatory pathways in innate and Th2 cells, not a generalized immune suppression. These findings suggest that 5-HT2A receptor activation may offer a novel therapeutic strategy for atherosclerosis, though the work was conducted only in mice.