Psilocybin - the psychoactive compound in hallucinogenic mushrooms - has extended the lifespan of human cells by more than 50 percent in laboratory experiments and increased the survival of elderly mice. The results are described in a study by researchers from Emory University and Baylor College of Medicine, published in the journal npj Aging.
It is important to note that the cell experiments did not use psilocybin directly, but psilocin - the active metabolite to which the substance is broken down in the body. The scientists studied human fetal lung fibroblasts and skin fibroblasts from older people.
Cells reached senescence later
In lung cells, the effect was concentration-dependent. At 10 micromoles, psilocin extended cell lifespan by 29 percent, and at 100 micromoles, it extended cell lifespan by 57 percent. In human skin cells, a 51 percent extension was reported.
Senescence is a condition in which cells stop dividing. The treated cells reached senescence later and showed lower levels of oxidative stress. The researchers also reported preservation of telomere length – protective structures at the ends of chromosomes, which normally shorten with age.
80% of treated mice survived
The next stage was carried out with 19-month-old female mice, roughly equivalent to humans aged 60–65. The animals were given psilocybin once a month for 10 months.
At the end of the period, 80 percent of the mice that received the substance survived, compared to 50 percent of the untreated control group. The animals in the experimental group also had more fur, less graying, and better overall coat condition. However, these changes were not quantified across all measures.
“I was blown away by the data“, says Louise Hecker, senior author of the study.The results do not mean that psilocybin is a proven anti-aging agent in humans. The study did not include human participants, and the cell and mouse models used cannot show whether the same effect would occur in humans.
Scott Thompson, a professor of psychiatry at the University of Colorado who was not involved in the study, called the results interesting but stressed that “a lot of additional work” is needed to determine whether they can be applied to human health. Appropriate doses, frequency of use, and possible long-term risks, including effects on cancer, remain to be determined.
Sources: nature.com, livescience.com, eurekalert.org