Present and future of metabolic and metabolomics studies focused on classical psychedelics in humans.
Francisco Madrid-Gambin, David Fabregat-Safont, Alex Gomez-Gomez, Eulàlia Olesti, Natasha L. Mason, Johannes G. Ramaekers, Óscar J. Pozo
Biomedicine & pharmacotherapy = Biomedecine & pharmacotherapie December 31, 2023 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2023.115775 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Ayahuasca DMT LSD Psilocybin |
| Keywords | Metabolomics Psychedelics hallucinogens Entheogens Metabolism metabolic processes Cellular metabolism Neuroscience brain science Neural |
| Citations | 12 |
| Key findings | Metabolic studies have robustly established the main metabolites of classical psychedelics, but the metabolic alterations induced by these drugs require further investigation. |
Abstract
Psychedelics are classical hallucinogen drugs that induce a marked altered state of consciousness. In recent years, there has been renewed attention to the possible use of classical psychedelics for the treatment of certain mental health disorders. However, further investigation to better understand their biological effects in humans, their mechanism of action, and their metabolism in humans is needed when considering the development of future novel therapeutic approaches. Both metabolic and metabolomics studies may help for these purposes. On one hand, metabolic studies aim to determine the main metabolites of the drug. On the other hand, the application of metabolomics in human psychedelics studies can help to further understand the biological processes underlying the psychedelic state and the mechanisms of action underlying their therapeutic potential. This review presents the state of the art of metabolic and metabolomic studies after lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), mescaline, N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) and β-carboline alkaloids (ayahuasca brew), 5-methoxy-DMT and psilocybin administrations in humans. We first describe the characteristics of the published research. Afterward, we reviewed the main results obtained by both metabolic and metabolomics (if available) studies in classical psychedelics and we found out that metabolic and metabolomics studies in psychedelics progress at two different speeds. Thus, whereas the main metabolites for classical psychedelics have been robustly established, the main metabolic alterations induced by psychedelics need to be explored. The integration of metabolomics and pharmacokinetics for investigating the molecular interaction between psychedelics and multiple targets may open new avenues in understanding the therapeutic role of psychedelics.
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on DMT, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neuropharmacology of N,N-dimethyltryptamine | 2016 | Review | |
| N, N-Dimethyltryptamine (DMT), an Endogenous Hallucinogen: Past, Present, and Future Research to Determine Its Role and Function Humans and animals (general) | 2018 | Review | |
| Psychedelic 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine: metabolism, pharmacokinetics, drug interactions, and pharmacological actions. Humans (pharmacokinetics) | 2010 | Review | |
| Pharmahuasca: Human Pharmacology of Oral DMT Plus Harmine Human self-experimenters | 1999 | Review | n = 8 |
| The psychedelic model of schizophrenia: the case of N,N- dimethyltryptamine | 1976 | Review |
Citations in the library
Cited by 8
- Advancing cancer neuroscience through stress modulation: Interdisciplinary potential of psilocybin and ketamine General Hospital Psychiatry February 25, 2026
- Brain-body integromics of the ayahuasca experience. Biomedicine & pharmacotherapy = Biomedecine & pharmacotherapie June 1, 2026
- Phenethylaminylation: Preliminary In Vitro Evidence for the Covalent Transamidation of Psychedelic Phenethylamines to Glial Proteins using 3,5-Dimethoxy-4-(2-Propynyloxy)-Phenethylamine as a Model Compound. bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology February 17, 2025
- Exploring Endogenous Tryptamines: Overlooked Agents Against Fibrosis in Chronic Disease? A Narrative Review Livers December 27, 2024
- Diverse avenues of research support the transmethylation theory of psychosis: implications for neuroprotection Exploration of Neuroprotective Therapy May 21, 2024
and 3 more in the library
Cites 80
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