Maternal and developmental toxicity of the hallucinogenic plant-based beverage ayahuasca in rats
Luciana Gueiros Da Motta, Juliana Alves de Morais, Ana Carolina A.m. Tavares, Leonora Vianna, Márcia Renata Mortari, Rivadávio Fernandes Batista de Amorim, Rosângela Ribeiro de Carvalho, Francisco José Roma Paumgartten, Aline Pic‐taylor, Eloísa Dutra Caldas
Reproductive Toxicology March 6, 2018 DOI: 10.1016/j.reprotox.2018.03.002 via OpenAlex
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractAyahuasca, when given orally to pregnant rats from gestation days 6 to 20 at doses one to eight times the average human ritual dose, caused maternal death and kidney injury at higher doses. Surviving rats at the highest dose showed neuronal loss in the hippocampus and raphe nuclei, and those at twice the human dose showed neuronal loss in the CA1 region. The highest dose also delayed intrauterine growth, increased embryo deaths, and raised the occurrence of fetal anomalies. At non-lethal doses, ayahuasca increased embryo deaths and the incidence of fetal soft-tissue and skeleton anomalies. The findings suggest ayahuasca is developmentally toxic and that daily use during pregnancy may pose risks to the developing offspring.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Animal study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Pregnant rats |
| Intervention | Ayahuasca |
| Dose | one-(1X) to eight-fold (8X) the average dose taken by a human adult in a religious ritual |
| Duration | Gestation days 6-20, evaluated on gestation day 21 |
| Topics | Ayahuasca |
| Keywords | Gestation Teratology Toxicity Pregnancy |
| Citations | 27 |
| Key finding | Ayahuasca is developmentally toxic in rats, causing maternal death, kidney injury, neuronal loss, and increased fetal anomalies at doses comparable to or exceeding human ritual use. |
Abstract
Rats were treated orally with ayahuasca (AYA) on gestation days (GD) 6-20 at doses corresponding to one-(1X) to eight-fold (8X) the average dose taken by a human adult in a religious ritual, and the pregnancy outcome evaluated on GD21. Rats treated with 4X and 8X doses died during the treatment period (44 and 52%), and those that survived showed kidney injury. Rats surviving the 8X dose showed neuronal loss in hippocampal regions and in the raphe nuclei, and those from the 2X dose neuronal loss in CA1. Delayed intrauterine growth, induced embryo deaths and increased occurrence of foetal anomalies were observed at the 8X dose. At non-lethal doses, AYA enhanced embryolethality and the incidence of foetal soft-tissue and skeleton anomalies. This study suggested that AYA is developmentally toxic and that its daily use by pregnant women may pose risks for the conceptus.