Psychedelics as potent anti-inflammatory therapeutics
Neuropharmacology August 22, 2022 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2022.109232 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Psilocybin |
| Keywords | Consciousness Hallucinogen Pharmacology |
| Citations | 31 |
| Key findings | Psychedelics are potent anti-inflammatories and immunomodulators in peripheral tissues, representing a new class of small molecule anti-inflammatory agents for treating inflammatory diseases. |
Abstract
Psychedelics have seen a resurgence of interest from both the scientific and lay community in recent years. Psychedelics are known for their ability to produce profound perceptual alterations, ego dissolution, and separation from reality in humans. Virtually all research into psychedelics and their mechanism of action has focused on examining effects in the brain, and on consciousness. Remarkably, we have discovered that psychedelics are also potent anti-inflammatories and immunomodulators in peripheral tissues. In this review, the discovery of this phenomenon, and the development of psychedelics as potential therapeutics for human inflammatory disease is presented. We believe that certain psychedelics represent a new class of small molecule, highly bioavailable, anti-inflammatory that is steroid sparing and efficacious at sub-behavioral levels that can be used to treat and prevent a variety of inflammatory-related diseases and conditions. This article is part of the Special Issue on 'Psilocybin Research'.
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on psilocybin, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Classic psychedelics: An integrative review of epidemiology, therapeutics, mystical experience, and brain network function. General population | 2019 | Integrative review | |
| The pharmacology of psilocybin | 2002 | Review | |
| Serotonin research: contributions to understanding psychoses | 2008 | Review | |
| Psychedelics, Meditation, and Self-Consciousness | 2018 | Review | |
| The abuse potential of medical psilocybin according to the 8 factors of the Controlled Substances Act | 2018 | Review |
Citations in the library
Cited by 29
- Psychedelics: Threshold of a Therapeutic Revolution Neuropharmacology May 27, 2023
- Exploring DMT: Endogenous role and therapeutic potential. Neuropharmacology May 1, 2025
- Psychedelics in neuroinflammation: Mechanisms and therapeutic potential Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry January 31, 2025
- The mechanistic divide in psychedelic neuroscience: An unbridgeable gap? Neurotherapeutics January 25, 2024
- Bedside to bench: the outlook for psychedelic research Frontiers in Pharmacology October 2, 2023
and 24 more in the library
Cites 3
- Correlation between the potency of hallucinogens in the mouse head-twitch response assay and their behavioral and subjective effects in other species. Neuropharmacology May 1, 2020
- Structure-Activity Relationship Analysis of Psychedelics in a Rat Model of Asthma Reveals the Anti-Inflammatory Pharmacophore. ACS Pharmacology & Translational Science April 9, 2021
- Regulation of human research with LSD in the United States (1949-1987). Psychopharmacology February 2018