LSD's Impact On The Body's Cannabinoid And Microorganisms Systems, New Study Sheds Light

A recent study published in the British Journal of Pharmacology looked into how psychedelics like LSD can affect the biological endocannabinoid system, otherwise targeted by cannabis compounds, which directly bind to cannabinoid receptors.

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The publication, first spotted by Travis Cesarone, details how scientists approached their hypothesis by counting serotonin and endocannabinoid-like molecules in the brains of mice after giving them LSD for seven days straight. 

Specifically, the repeated doses of 30 mg of LSD per kg of body weight brought about anti-depressant, anti-anxiety and prosocial behavior in the mice. 

Yet the trial also focused on how the psychedelic regime affected their microbiomes.

The drug’s intake, as Cesarone explains, “altered endocannabinoid tone and affected the serotonin metabolite, kynurenic acid, without impacting the levels of serotonin or its precursor tryptophan.” 

The rise of the anxiolytic behavior in mice took place partly through endocannabinoid signaling after the binding of serotonin receptors and corresponded to changes in a few families of gut bacteria, part of the body’s natural microbiome.

We know that most psychedelics work by triggering a “trip.” They do so through binding to serotonin receptor 5HT-2A, inducing a family of enzymes known as phospholipases (PLs) which in turn affect the endocannabinoid synthesis and function by producing more endocannabinoids.

LSD’s anti-inflammatory effects are also triggered by the 5-HT2A receptor. The ingestion of repeated doses of LSD can increase the GABA neurotransmitter signaling and reduce inflammation.

“Given that inflammatory signaling influences gut microbiome composition, which is … altered in psychiatric disorders, the anti-inflammatory effects of LSD could have a modulatory role over psychopathology-related gut bacteria,” per the study authors.

Translation: psychedelics, which act through the serotonin system, might change the composition of all the microorganisms living in our gut towards anti-inflammation. This is the reason for -or at least the delivery path to- their therapeutic effect in specific mental health conditions.

Image by www_slon_pics from Pixabay