Deciphering psilocybin: Cytotoxicity, anti-inflammatory effects, and mechanistic insights
International Immunopharmacology February 23, 2024 Salma Laabi, Claire LeMmon, Callie Vogel et al. 16 citations
Psilocybin and its active metabolite psilocin show different cytotoxic and immunomodulatory effects on mouse macrophages. Psilocybin is nearly twice as cytotoxic as psilocin, with LC50 values of 12 ng/ml and 28 ng/ml, respectively. In resting macrophages, both compounds triggered significant release of the pro-inflammatory cytokine TNF-α after 4 hours, with lower doses inducing higher levels than higher doses. Only the highest dose of psilocin increased the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 in resting cells. In LPS-activated macrophages, psilocin reduced TNF-α more than psilocybin in both pre-treatment and post-treatment. Psilocin, but not psilocybin, significantly increased IL-10 in post-treatment, indicating that psilocin exerts anti-inflammatory effects on classically activated macrophages.