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Lysergic acid diethylamide stimulates cardiac human H2 histamine and cardiac human 5-HT4-serotonin receptors.

Ulrich Gergs, Hannes Jacob, Pauline Braekow, Britt Hofmann, Steffen Pockes, Laura J. Humphrys, Uwe Kirchhefer, Charlotte Fehse, Joachim Neumann

Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's Archives of Pharmacology 2024 DOI: 10.1007/s00210-023-02591-6 (opens in new tab)

Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Experimental study Peer reviewed
Population Transgenic mice with cardiomyocyte-specific overexpression of human 5-HT4 or H2 receptors, and human right atrial tissue from bypass surgery patients
Intervention LSD
Dose up to 10 µM
Topics LSD Serotonin
Keywords Inotropy Heart cardiac Cardiovascular Receptors h2-histamine receptor Serotonin receptor Cardiac function chronotropy
Citations 16
Key findings LSD increases cardiac force and rate through activation of 5-HT4 serotonin receptors and H2 histamine receptors.

Abstract

Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) is an artificial hallucinogenic drug. Thus, we hypothesized that LSD might act 5-HT4 serotonin receptors and/or H2 histamine receptors. We studied isolated electrically stimulated left atrial preparations, spontaneously beating right atrial preparations, and spontaneously beating Langendorff-perfused hearts from transgenic mice with cardiomyocyte-specific overexpression of the human 5-HT4 receptor (5-HT4-TG) or of the H2-histamine receptor (H2-TG). For comparison, we used wild type littermate mice (WT). Finally, we measured isometric force of contraction in isolated electrically stimulated muscle strips from the human right atrium obtained from patients during bypass surgery. LSD (up to 10 µM) concentration dependently increased force of contraction and beating rate in left or right atrial preparations from 5-HT4-TG (n = 6, p < 0.05) in 5-HT4-TG atrial preparations. The inotropic and chronotropic effects of LSD were antagonized by 10 µM tropisetron in 5-HT4-TG. In contrast, LSD (10 µM) increased force of contraction and beating rate in left or right atrial preparations, from H2-TG. After pre-stimulation with cilostamide (1 µM), LSD (10 µM) increased force of contraction in human atrial preparations (n = 6, p < 0.05). The contractile effects of LSD in human atrial preparations could be antagonized by 10 µM cimetidine and 1 µM GR 125487. LSD leads to H2-histamine receptor and 5-HT4-receptor mediated cardiac effects in humans.

Comparable studies

Other preclinical and animal studies on LSD, most cited first.

Study Year Design Participants
Transcriptome Fingerprints Distinguish Hallucinogenic and Nonhallucinogenic 5-Hydroxytryptamine 2A Receptor Agonist Effects in Mouse Somatosensory Cortex Human embryonic kidney 293 cells stably expressing 5-HT2ARs; wild-type and 5-HT2AR... 2003 Experimental study
Evidence for a central 5‐hydroxytryptamine receptor stimulation by lysergic acid diethylamide Rats 1968 Experimental study
Psychedelics, but Not Ketamine, Produce Persistent Antidepressant-like Effects in a Rodent Experimental System for the Study of Depression Rats 2020 Preclinical study
Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) promotes social behavior through mTORC1 in the excitatory neurotransmission Male mice 2021 Multidisciplinary experimental study with in vivo electrophysiology, optogenetics, behavioral paradigms, molecular biology, and conditional knockout mice
A non-hallucinogenic LSD analog with therapeutic potential for mood disorders. Mice and cultured rat cortical neurons 2023 Preclinical study

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