Psilocybin Treatment Extends Cellular Lifespan, Improves Survival of Aged Mice 68
A new study found that psilocybin treatment significantly delayed cellular aging, extending human cell lifespan by over 50% and increasing survival in aged mice by 30%. The compound appeared to achieve these effects by reducing oxidative stress, preserving telomeres, and improving DNA repair. Neuroscience News reports: A newly published study in Nature Partner Journals' Aging demonstrates that psilocin, a byproduct of consuming psilocybin, the active ingredient in psychedelic mushrooms, extended the cellular lifespan of human skin and lung cells by more than 50%. In parallel, researchers also conducted the first long-term in vivo study evaluating the systemic effects of psilocybin in aged mice of 19 months, or the equivalent of 60-65 human years. Results indicated that the mice that received an initial low dose of psilocybin of 5 mg, followed by a monthly high dose of 15 mg for 10 months, had a 30% increase in survival compared to mice that did not receive any. These mice also displayed healthier physical features, such as improved fur quality, fewer white hairs and hair regrowth.
While traditionally researched for its mental health benefits, this study suggests that psilocybin impacts multiple hallmarks of aging by reducing oxidative stress, improving DNA repair responses, and preserving telomere length. Telomeres are the structured ends of a chromosome, protecting it from damage that could lead to the formation of age-related diseases, such as cancer, neurodegeneration, or cardiovascular disease. These foundational processes influence human aging and the onset of these chronic diseases. The study concludes that psilocybin may have the potential to revolutionize anti-aging therapies and could be an impactful intervention in an aging population.
While traditionally researched for its mental health benefits, this study suggests that psilocybin impacts multiple hallmarks of aging by reducing oxidative stress, improving DNA repair responses, and preserving telomere length. Telomeres are the structured ends of a chromosome, protecting it from damage that could lead to the formation of age-related diseases, such as cancer, neurodegeneration, or cardiovascular disease. These foundational processes influence human aging and the onset of these chronic diseases. The study concludes that psilocybin may have the potential to revolutionize anti-aging therapies and could be an impactful intervention in an aging population.
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Technically a European mushroom. In this case, the Australian cook is to blame.
updated version:
If our spiders and snakes don't kill you, our [delicious recipes] will.
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Australians seem friendly enough, but I have watched Mr Inbetween, so I am more wary now
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Arizonan here, our spiders will cause deep lesions [nih.gov], rattlesnakes [healthline.com] will kill or maim you, one of the hastiest ants is widespread [wikipedia.org], BUT you can lick our toads and have a religious experience [wikipedia.org]
It is far too dry in most of the state for wild psilocybin to be available, but the local shamans have a wide range of psychoactives they have used for centuries
Come for the weather (118F yesterday), stay for the mind alterations
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Harder to accomplish than you would expect, far easier to join The Peyote Way Church of God [peyoteway.org], and set up your own spirit walk
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Hallucinating (Score:1)
The scientist who were conducting the study were hallucinating the results.
Re:Hallucinating (Score:5, Interesting)
No, but the mice were tripping absolute fucking balls once a month.
According to psychonautwiki, 15mg of psilocybin is a 'common' dose for a human: https://psychonautwiki.org/wik... [psychonautwiki.org]
Mice are going to see the color of time in a proton on a dose like that.
From TFA: "Within 30min post-treatment, mice exhibited increased head-twitch response (data not shown), which is a well-established behavioral indicator of hallucinogenic impacts of psilocybin in mice."
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The mouse equivalent of a "heroic dose." Bless their little hearts.
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A little correction (to myself): It was 15mg psilocybin per 1kg of body weight. The mice probably didn't weigh 1 kg each. Nevertheless, 15mg/kg is a shitload. For me that would be about 1500mg of psilocybin and indeed very much a heroic dose.
Re:Hallucinating (Score:4, Insightful)
For the common species Psilocybe cubensis, a gram of dried mushrooms can contain 10–12 mg of psilocybin
I am pretty sure that most humans are taking 3-7 grams of mushrooms when they dose
Just sayin
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I'll trust psychonautwiki over your random speculation. Not to be mean, but I would like to add that if you're not familiar with it you probably don't have that much authority on the subject.
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*sigh*
go play in reddit , child and get offa my lawn
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Anecdotes aren't data, old man. Go yell at some clouds.
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I'll trust psychonautwiki over your random speculation. Not to be mean, but I would like to add that if you're not familiar with it you probably don't have that much authority on the subject.
I agree on the matter of authority... but if you read the link, it largely suports what garyisabusyguy said. The link says:
Which is exactly what garyisabusyguy said.
It also says:
But it also says that "strong" and "heavy" doses are 2.5
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I think that method of administration has a lot to do with it as well, since consuming involves the digestive system and it's tendency to degrade proteins... a major barrier to administering many drugs
Beyond that, once it makes its way to the blood stream, any drug still needs to cross the blood-brain barrier.
Due to the vagaries of reporting, the mice may have been given a 5mg object, with some amount of psilocybin in it to eat, or they may have had a tube to the spinal column administering straight to the
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I'm volunteering you for the ole suicide booth.
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It's a fair question though. Living longer, falling birth rate. No way to fix either without it being kinda brutal.
We will just have to figure out how to deal with it, and it isn't going to be pleasant.
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Imagine old people collectives (farms), where we (I'm 67) are sent to live and work out our last years. All dogs and cats roam free.
You can live there forever but 75% of your social security is your cost, and you can't leave.
(golly another NetFlix elevator pitch)
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They have those in Israel. They're called kibbutzim. I feel like you can probably automate all that food production though for less than the latest billionaire tax break.
Re:Another way to bankrupt Social Security (Score:4, Insightful)
longer lifespans for the wealthy, longer working lives for the rest
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Look at the rest of his post history. He's not asking questions, he's pulling propaganda out his ass.
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anyone who's ever done them and gone into the crazy zone will tell you... it's not all fun and games... that can be terrifying to anyone who hasn't been there, which I'm feeling is most people expressing firm opinions on this matter. Lives can be ruined. This is like serving 12 oz vodka martinis to 60 pound 10 year olds. Chances of
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we should all be munching on mushrooms because it's all safe and everything
Mushrooms are one of the safer things on pizza. The pepperoni will kill you faster than almost anything. Too bad mushroom pizzas smell kind of gross, like wet cardboard.
(disclaimer: I only order from Dominos)
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You do realize that attempting to control people though fear is sooooo last millennia
Of course you don't want children using any mind altering substances, unless it's ritilin, adderall, sri's etc...
Funny thing, I grew up in the 70's, and as feral children, we were drawn to the forbidden. By the time I was 18 I had direct experience with a number of hallucinogens, and... not dead
What HAS been a direct issue for people I have known are pharmaceuticals, or their street analogs, opioids, amphetamines and even g
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Why? Retirement ages might have to go up, but that's only a bad thing if you've somehow spent your life doing something you hate and are counting the days until you can sit on a couch for ten or fifteen years waiting to die.
The most sensible solution to both problems would seem to be ditching the gamification of maximizing career progression from ages 18 to 65. Do something you enjoy. Take a break after the first ten years if you want to have some kids. Go back and do something you enjoy afterward. Maybe sw
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...and the environmental impact... and the resource and enegy consumption...
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Not sure where you are coming from, but for me a longer life means a longer working life, mainly because I ENJOY my work
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If you increase lifespan by XX years, you'll have to increase the social security eligibility age by the same amount.
You say that like it's a bad thing. It seems like a good problem to have.
Also, you wouldn't have to raise the eligibility age to the same proportion as the potential increase in lifespan. Because heart attack, stroke, car accidents, and cancer will still get people before they can fully collect their benefits. But let's say hypothetically, people live to 120. And we move the eligibility age to what? 95 or maybe 105? That'd be a better deal than we have now where people collect at 65 and die at 75 to 85.
Schedule 0 listing incomming (Score:4, Insightful)
Oh look. A natural product that has clear benefits and is available for free! BAN IT!!
If big pharma isn't in the loop, nobody is cashing in and we can't have that!
THINK OF THE SHAREHOLDERS!
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Uhm, this is not available for free. Anyone that has attempted to grow any plant knows it is not easy, takes effort, knowledge, money to make them grow. Farmers are hard working people that often lose money in a bad year, not lazy people sitting around doing nothing but picking the plant.
Also, most farms now have shareholders. And quite a few of them use pesticides etc. without regard for their customers health. Generally farmers are more ethical than pharmaceuticals, but not always. (Mainly because fa
Re:Schedule 0 listing incomming (Score:4)
The COST of a dose of mushroom is TINY compared to the RISK of criminal prosecution and the associated costs that go with arrest and prosecution
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Psilocybin is not available free? Maybe not to you, but I know what they look like and where they grow.
Stress reduction? (Score:2)
Could this be due to stress and cortisol reduction caused by the drugs effects? Not unlikely, right?
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A recent study demonstrated that 5-HT2A stimulation in cortical neurons induced SIRT1-dependent expression of antioxidant enzymes, which led to reduced oxidative stress and neuroprotection17. SIRT1 is a key regulator of senescence, and overexpression of SIRT1 has been shown to extend organismal lifespan in C. elegans and mice18. Here, we demonstrate that psilocin increased SIRT1 expression in cells, suggesting a potential mechanism by which psilocybin delays senescence and promotes longevity.
But SIRT1 is not the end-all. Say if you have HPV, it advances cancer and inhibiting SIRT1 would be beneficial.
Human papillomaviruses (HPV) regulate their differentiation-dependent life cycles by activating a number of cellular pathways, such as the DNA damage response, through control of post-translational protein modification. Sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) is a protein deacetylase that modulates the acetylation of a number of cellular substrates, resulting in activation of pathways controlling gene expression and DNA damage repair. Our studies indicate that SIRT1 levels are increased in cells containing episomes of high-risk HPV types through the combined action of the E6 and E7 oncoproteins. Knockdown of SIRT1 in these cells with shRNAs impairs viral activities including genome maintenance, amplification and late gene transcription, with minimal effects on cellular proliferation ability.
As with a lot of these cell signaling convergence points in biological pathway, they are a double edged sword with some positive effects and possibly s
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Senescence is blocked in human cervical keratinocytes infected with high risk human papillomavirus (e.g. HPV type16). Viral oncoproteins HPV E6 and HPV E7 access the cell cycle via cellular p53 and retinoblastoma proteins respectively. Previously we have shown that HPV E7, not HPV E6, is also responsible for cervical cancer cell survival (SiHa cells; HPV type16). We now present evidence that SIRT1, an aging-related NAD-dependent deacetylase, mediates HPV E7 survival function in SiHa cervical cancer cells. Moreover, HPV E7 up-regulates SIRT1 protein when expressed in primary human keratinocytes. Conversely, SIRT1 levels decrease following RNAi-mediated silencing of HPV E7 in SiHa cells. Silencing HPV E6 has no effect on SIRT1 but, as expected, causes marked accumulation of p53 protein accompanied by p53-mediated up-regulation of p21. However, p53 acetylation (K382Ac) was barely detectable. Since p53 is a known SIRT1 substrate we propose that elevated SIRT1 levels (induced by HPV E7) attenuate p53 pro-apoptotic capacity via its de-acetylation. Our discovery that HPV E7 up-regulates SIRT1 links a clinically important oncogenic virus with the multi-functional SIRT1 protein. This link may open the way for a more in-depth understanding of the process of HPV-induced malignant transformation and also of the inter-relationships between aging and cancer.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.go... [nih.gov]
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Could this be due to stress and cortisol reduction caused by the drugs effects? Not unlikely, right?
No, from the article it says emotional stress shortens telomeres. Telomeres are long repeats added to the end DNA to 'cap' it and add a layer of information as a buffer that gets lost each time its replicated. Once the telomere is gone, actual DNA code gets lost during copying (because for some reason not all DNA is copied during cell division). The study suggests telomeres are what the mushrooms act on to achieve their results.
The “psilocybin-telomere hypothesis”6 postulates that psilocybin interventions may quantifiably impact telomere length, which offers a potential explanation for its efficacy across a wide range of clinical indications. This hypothesis is based on a large corpus of studies linking mental health biological aging markers6. Accumulating evidence indicate that clinical depression accelerates aging and telomere shortening7,8,9. Positive mental psychological states are associated with longer telomeres, whereas negative psychological conditions (e.g. chronic stress, anxiety, and depression) are associated with telomere attrition
It causes hallucinations, right? (Score:4, Insightful)
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Side effect? You make it sound like a bad thing.
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Summary has it wrong. Psilocin is what causes effects in human beings, Psilocybin is a pro-drug...
Re:It causes hallucinations, right? (Score:5, Funny)
If you hallucinate enough you can become as smart as AI.
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It would be refreshing if someone named an LLM "know-nothing cunt."
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It can be a wonderful experience! But please approach with caution!! Start with smaller doses to get a feel before diving in.
Good loving friends and a campfire outdoors is the way to go... not effing doctors and clinics.
Seriously the people promoting this are in it for the money, I think that tells you what you need to know.
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Way to contradict yourself.
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For the vast majority of people their first experience with shrooms is jumping in unprepared. And in almost all cases that's fine.
You don't need a shaman to dip your toes in the river. Or even to cannonball into the deep end. The structure is great to improve the quality and intent of your trip, but the drug isn't lying in wait to ambush the unprepared. It's pretty well behaved.
For every "bad trip" there are vast numbers of perfectly mundane ones.
Now a caveat. The easier you find it being in your own skin,
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Doesn't EVERY medication produce hallucinations (and so, so many other things) ?
"Treatment" wink wink (Score:1)
Looking forward to some "treatment" this weekend. Gonna do some telomere maintenance and DNA repair out on the ranch under the stars. I'll take my telescope to help distract me from any "side effects."
WRONG USE PERCENTAGES HERE (Score:3)
Mice live about 18 months. A 10% increase is about 2 months. Some idiot sees the 10% increase and thinks 10% of 80 years = 8 years more human life. Nope. Longer lived creatures tend to benefit far less from these things. If something adds 2 months to a mouses life span, it will likely add about 2 months to a human's life span, not 8 years.
Re: WRONG USE PERCENTAGES HERE (Score:2)
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Mice live about 18 months. A 10% increase is about 2 months. Some idiot sees the 10% increase and thinks 10% of 80 years = 8 years more human life. Nope. Longer lived creatures tend to benefit far less from these things. If something adds 2 months to a mouses life span, it will likely add about 2 months to a human's life span, not 8 years.
Also, the mice got something like 500mg of psilocybin per kg of body mass. For humans, 280 mg/kg is considered a lethal dose (LD50). It's really unclear how this research could transfer to humans.
OTOH, it's a starting point. Rather than concluding that this means humans should trip on massive doses of shrooms to live longer, we should think that further research may elucidate the specific mechanisms and yield other insights that can transfer -- and might even be vastly more effective.
Be happy, is the key. (Score:2)
Happy and content individuals live longer. Big reveal.
Unfortunately, the ability to be constantly happy is largely a function of our genetic disposition. It's not a choice, it's an accident. Unhappiness drives the ever oingoing change, which is why I think so many people are unhappy.
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Happy and content individuals live longer. Big reveal.
That may be true, but its looking more like stress is an acute driver of cancer. Or rather it awakens dormant cancer cells https://youtu.be/DOXTxpEZ_yw?t... [youtu.be]
Unfortunately, the ability to be constantly happy is largely a function of our genetic disposition. It's not a choice, it's an accident. Unhappiness drives the ever oingoing change, which is why I think so many people are unhappy.
We can all choose what we focus on and guide our thoughts. The things we focus on become the submodalities that we look at life through. We perceive life as a prism, we focus on certain things (according to Tony Robbins). Many people's thinking is blown around by the wind. Others are masters of their own mind. Thoughts and mood have en effect on genetic
Come for the high (Score:2)
And stay, and stay, and stay...
So long-term... (Score:2)
What will a society of 150-year-old hippie mystics lookalike?
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70s rock bands.
This explains the age old question, how the fuck is Mick Jagger still alive?
Excellent. (Score:2)
Not only a longer life, but one filled with an awareness of nuance and a love of nature at night. Count me in.
if they've discovered a cure for baldness... (Score:2)