Pharmacological characterization of cannabidiol as a negative allosteric modulator of the 5-HT2A receptor.
Etienne Billard, Alexandre Torbey, Antonio Inserra, Emily Grant, Antonella Bertazzo, Danilo de Gregorio, Stefano Comai, David Chatenet, Gabriella Gobbi, Terence E Hébert
Cellular signalling March 1, 2025 DOI: 10.1016/j.cellsig.2025.111588 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Laboratory study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | HEK 293 cells and rat primary cortical neurons |
| Interventions | Cannabidiol (CBD) lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) DOI |
| Topics | CBD Serotonin |
| Keywords | Entheogens Psychedelic drugs Neuroscience brain science Neural research Neurology Drug interactions pharmacology Drug effects 5-ht2a Allosteric modulation Biased signalling Cannabidiol CBD Psychedelics hallucinogens CBD Cannabidiol Hemp extract |
| Citations | 10 |
| Key points | CBD acts as a negative allosteric modulator of the 5-HT2A receptor, antagonizing LSD-mediated Gq activation without affecting β-arrestin2 recruitment. |
Abstract
Promising clinical evidence suggests that psychedelic compounds, like lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), have therapeutic value for treatment of psychiatric disorders. However, they often produce hallucinations and dissociative states, likely mediated by the serotonin (5-HT) receptor 5-HT2A, raising challenges regarding therapeutic scalability. Given the reported antipsychotic effects of cannabidiol (CBD) and its promiscuous binding at many receptors, we assessed whether CBD could modulate 5-HT2A signalling. Activation of the 5-HT2A intracellular signalling events were assessed using resonance energy transfer- or fluorescence-based biosensors in HEK 293 cells and in rat primary cortical neurons. In 5-HT2A-transfected HEK 293 T cells, CBD antagonized LSD-mediated Gq activation in a saturable way, while leaving β-arrestin2 recruitment unaffected. CBD decreased Gq activation mediated by the 5-HT2A-specific agonist DOI as well as LSD-mediated activity in primary rat neonatal cortical neurons. Using Site Identification by Ligand Competitive Saturation (SILCS) simulations, we also predicted that the putative binding site of CBD overlapped with that of oleamide, a positive allosteric modulator of 5-HT2A, and could displace the binding of orthosteric ligands toward the external binding pocket. Based on these findings, we propose that CBD acts as a negative allosteric modulator of 5-HT2A.
Comparable studies
Other experimental studies on CBD, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dissociable effects of cannabis with and without cannabidiol on the human brain’s resting-state functional connectivity Healthy volunteers experienced with cannabis but not regular users | 2019 | Within-subjects experimental design | n = 17 |
| Placebo Effects of Edible Cannabis: Reported Intoxication Effects at a 30-Minute Delay Participants | 2017 | Within-subjects experimental design | n = 20 |
| THC, CBD and minor cannabinoid CBDV differently modulate hippocampal neurons firing. Cultured hippocampal neurons | 2025 | Experimental study | |
| Acute and Extended Anxiolytic Effects of Cannabidiol in Cannabis Flower: A Quasi-Experimental ad libitum Use Study Participants with anxiety symptoms who were not using cannabis or who used cannabis... | 2024 | Nonequivalent control group quasiexperimental design | n = 300 |
| Baseline affective symptomatology moderates acute subjective effects of high potency THC and CBD cannabis concentrates. Cannabis users (48% female; mean age 29.87 years) | 2023 | Exploratory experimental study with ad libitum naturalistic use | n = 54 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 2
- Cannabidiol reverses myeloperoxidase hyperactivity in the prefrontal cortex and striatum, and reduces protein carbonyls in the hippocampus in a ketamine-induced schizophrenia rat model. Schizophrenia Research April 1, 2025
- Targeting Serotonin 5-HT2A Receptors in the Treatment of Aggression: from Antipsychotics to Psychedelics. Aggression and violent behavior 2026
Cites 23
- Single-Dose Psilocybin for a Treatment-Resistant Episode of Major Depression. New England Journal of Medicine November 3, 2022
- Classic psychedelics: An integrative review of epidemiology, therapeutics, mystical experience, and brain network function. Pharmacology & Therapeutics May 1, 2019
- Crystal structure of an LSD-bound human serotonin receptor Cell January 26, 2017
- Cannabidiol inhibits THC-elicited paranoid symptoms and hippocampal-dependent memory impairment Journal of Psychopharmacology October 5, 2012
- Structure-based discovery of nonhallucinogenic psychedelic analogs Science January 27, 2022
and 18 more in the library