Psychedelics as potent anti-inflammatory therapeutics

Psychedelics, known for altering perception and consciousness, also act as potent anti-inflammatories and immunomodulators in peripheral tissues. This review describes the discovery of this phenomenon and the development of psychedelics as potential therapeutics for human inflammatory disease. The authors propose that certain psychedelics represent a new class of small molecule, highly bioavailable, anti-inflammatory agents that are steroid sparing and efficacious at sub-behavioral levels, offering a way to treat and prevent various inflammatory-related conditions.

Study at a glance

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'.