Effects of psilocybin on body weight, body composition, and metabolites in male and female mice.

A single dose of psilocybin increased body weight in both male and female mice during the days immediately after treatment, without affecting how much they ate or drank. The weight gain was accompanied by increased lean and water mass in males, with a similar trend in females. Blocking the 5-HT2A/2C receptor with ketanserin did not prevent this effect. Blood tests showed elevated creatine kinase, aspartate aminotransferase, and chloride in treated mice. These results begin to clarify how psilocybin may influence body weight and metabolism, which is important for its safe use in clinical and non-clinical settings.

Study at a glance

Abstract

There is growing interest in the therapeutic potential of psilocybin for the treatment of a wide variety of medical problems, and even for the promotion of wellbeing among healthy individuals. Interestingly, among the many proposed indications, both obesity and anorexia nervosa (AN) have been discussed. However, the effect of psilocybin on appetitive behavior and metabolism is not well known. Here, we report the effects of psilocybin on body weight, intake and output, body composition, and metabolic function among lean male and female wild-type mice. In the days immediately following treatment, both male and female mice receiving a single intraperitoneal dose of psilocybin were consistently heavier than saline controls, with no effect of psilocybin on intake or output. Co-administration of the 5-HT2A/2C receptor antagonist ketanserin had no effect on this outcome. Body composition analysis revealed that psilocybin significantly increased lean and water mass among males, with a similar trend among females. A metabolic panel revealed increased creatine kinase (CK), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and chloride among male and female psilocybin treated mice. Together, these findings begin to investigate the potential mechanisms of psilocybin's effects on body weight and metabolic measures. Such understanding will be critical for the safe, efficacious, and well-informed use of psilocybin in clinical and non-clinical settings.