Ayahuasca, a brew made from two Amazonian plants, is consumed worldwide, raising safety concerns about its oral use. This study analyzed the elemental composition of ready-to-consume ayahuasca samples from Brazilian religious groups. Concentrations of macroelements (Ca, Mg, K, P) and microelements (Li, Al, Mn, Fe, Co, Cu, Zn, As, Cd, Hg, Pb) were measured using ICP OES and ICP-MS after acid digestion. All detected levels fell below recommended daily intake values and permitted limits for toxic heavy metals, indicating that ayahuasca is safe for oral administration regarding total elemental content.
MDMA causes toxic effects and programmed cell death (apoptosis) in a mouse Leydig cell line (TM3). Treatment with MDMA increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and the expression of pro-apoptotic proteins caspase 3, Bax, and p53, while decreasing the anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2. Pre-treatment with zinc for 24 hours before MDMA exposure significantly reduced ROS production, lowered the number of apoptotic cells, and decreased pro-apoptotic protein expression compared to MDMA alone. Zinc pre-treatment mitigates MDMA-induced oxidative stress and apoptosis in TM3 cells.