Clinical trials on the use of psilocybin (PSL) to treat depression are promising, but still in preliminary stages. Additionionally, they are confounded by the presence of hallucinations, which may not be necessary for its clinical effectiveness, but create challenges when designing experiments. Results from our lab have also indicated potential antidepressant efficacy for a number of novel tryptamines that are chemically similar to psilocybin, including norbaeocystin (NOR) and baeocystin (BAO). The purpose of this study was to ensure that these tryptamines are screened for safety by administering them to rats and taking blood samples to check certain indicators of hepatic and renal health. Alkaline phosphatase and bilirubin were selected as measures of hepatic health, creatinine and blood urea nitrogen were selected as measures of renal health, and albumin and total protein were measured as indicators for both systems. We had 15 male long evans rats (n=5) which were administered 1 mg/kg of PSL, NOR, or BAO in a water vehicle. Blood was drawn 1 hour and 24 hours after drug administration and prepped for analysis. There was a transient rise in creatinine and blood urea nitrogen in animals that were administered psilocybin, but this is a common pattern for many drugs and is likely not indicative of undue renal stress. The other parameters all indicated that all three drugs were not causing damage or distress to either the hepatic or renal systems. In the future, studies could also look at these parameters after chronic use of these drugs to ensure that there aren’t long term issues that arise from repeat drug administration. This study helped me develop my skills in experimental design and execution, which will be valuable to me as I enter graduate school and continue doing animal research.
Author(s): Jon Sciortino, Psychology and Neuroscience Major
Advisor(s): Matthew McMurray, Department of Psychology
Oscar Sandoval, Department of Psychology
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