Psilocybin Prevents Chemotherapy-Related Nerve Injury and Associated Symptoms in Preclinical Models
Researchers found two doses of psilocybin before chemotherapy preserved nerve function in mice and kept tumor-killing effects intact, the study said.
- On Thursday, researchers at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center published a study in Science showing psilocybin prevents chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy in mice using two pre-treatment doses.
- CIPN affects up to 60% of chemotherapy patients, causing nerve damage that often forces doctors to reduce or stop life-saving cancer treatments, creating urgent clinical need.
- Psilocybin activates serotonin 2A receptors to preserve mitochondrial trafficking, ensuring nerve cells maintain ATP production during chemotherapy without reducing the drug's tumor-killing effects.
- Researchers are now preparing the NeuroGuard clinical trial to test psilocybin in humans with multiple cancer types, with Dr. Thomas Strouse, a neuropathy researcher at UCLA, noting "What's novel is looking at psilocybin as a protectant."
- While results in mice are promising, experts caution that psilocybin's effects in humans remain unproven, and different chemotherapy drugs may cause neuropathy through distinct mechanisms requiring broader validation.
17 Articles
17 Articles
Tingling, pain, numb hands: nerve damage is one of the most common side effects of chemotherapy. A new study shows how psilocybin could protect nerves.
However, this is a very serious possibility raised by researchers on Thursday in a study published in the prestigious journal Science. Conducted mainly on mice and some human tissue, their experiments focus on a complication called “peripheral neuropathy”, which affects millions of patients around the world. This nerve damage affects “about three quarters of patients” receiving chemotherapy, explains Patrick Dougherty, co-author of the study dur…
Permanent nerve damage is one of the most common consequences of chemotherapy. psychedelic fungi of all kinds could change this. Researchers speak of a "giant gain for oncology".
Two Doses of Psilocybin Protected Mice From Nerve Damage Through Six Chemotherapy Cycles
Learn how psilocybin prevented chemotherapy-induced nerve damage in mice, raising the possibility of protecting patients from one of the treatment’s most debilitating side effects.
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 67% of the sources are Center
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
