5-HT2a Receptor Activation, using DOI, Inhibits Tumor Induced Inflammation

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Article Published: August 2008

This is a pretty damn cool study. They found that application of 5-HT2a agonists (many and most psychedelics) at aortic smooth muscles inhibits the release of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha mediated inflammation. They suggest that 5-HT2a receptor activation presents an extremely potent avenue to treat disorders that are characterized by (TNF) as a symptom. It happens to be a symptom of a wide array of disorders: atherosclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, type 2 diabetes, IRB, and Crohn's Disease. It has also been linked to bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. It's one of the body's fundamental cell-death messaging systems.

TNF-alpha is a cytokine that is able to induce apoptosis, or cell death. Psychedelics are well known to activate 5-HT2a receptors. These researchers used DOI - good choice, very high affinity. There are higher out there, but this was likely a reasonably workable solution on tissues.