Psilocybin Prevents Chemotherapy Nerve Damage in Study — SkimNews
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- Psilocybin prevented chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) in mouse and human nerve tests by preserving the mitochondrial energy supply in nerve endings that chemotherapy typically disrupts, resulting in less damage and fewer complications.
- CIPN affects about 75% of cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, causing numbness, tingling, and pain in hands and feet, and currently lacks any approved preventive drug — duloxetine only treats symptoms with moderate pain relief.
- In mice with abdominal tumors given two 25mg-equivalent psilocybin doses one week apart before daily cisplatin, those receiving psilocybin responded to pain-sensitivity filament tests similarly to cancer mice that received no cisplatin, while cisplatin-only mice showed heightened sensitivity.
- Researchers at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center found psilocybin's active metabolite psilocin activates the 5HT2A receptor, sending molecular signals that block chemotherapy's disruption of mitochondrial transport along nerve-cell microtubules.
- The team confirmed the nerve-protective effect in human neuron samples treated with psilocybin before cisplatin exposure, with external expert Maria Maiaru of the University of Reading saying psilocybin 'seemed to help nerves withstand the toxic effects of chemotherapy.'
- MD Anderson researchers plan a randomized controlled trial starting November with roughly 80 patients with breast, colorectal, or head and neck cancer, testing two psilocybin doses before chemotherapy, with results expected in about five years.
- Lead researcher Moran Amit warned cancer patients against taking psilocybin at home, noting it has not been proven safe alongside chemotherapy and can 'interact dangerously with cancer medications.'
Why it matters: If confirmed in the planned randomized trial, the roughly 75% of cancer patients who develop chemotherapy nerve damage could avoid lasting numbness, tingling, and pain that currently force dose reductions or interruptions of cancer treatment. The five-year timeline, though, means existing patients get no near-term relief — and unsupervised psilocybin use remains explicitly dangerous.
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