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Day: 1 August 2016

Acid Brothers: Henry Beecher, Timothy Leary, and the psychedelic of the century

August 1, 2016 / History, LSD, Other subjects, Papers, Publications / By /

Abstract

Henry Knowles Beecher, an icon of human research ethics, and Timothy Francis Leary, a guru of the counterculture, are bound together in history by the synthetic hallucinogen lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD). Both were associated with Harvard University during a critical period in their careers and of drastic social change. To all appearances the first was a paragon of the establishment and a constructive if complex hero, the second a rebel and a criminal, a rogue and a scoundrel. Although there is no evidence they ever met, Beecher’s indirect struggle with Leary over control of the 20th century’s most celebrated psychedelic was at the very heart of his views about the legitimate, responsible investigator. That struggle also proves to be a revealing bellwether of the increasingly formalized scrutiny of human experiments that was then taking shape.

Moreno, J. D. (2016). Acid Brothers: Henry Beecher, Timothy Leary, and the psychedelic of the century. Perspectives in Biology and Medicine, 59(1), 107-121. 10.1353/pbm.2016.0019

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Cytotoxic Effects of Salvinorin A, A Major Constituent of Salvia divinorum

August 1, 2016 / Papers, Safety, Salvia / Salvinorin A, Toxicology / By / , ,

Abstract

S. divinorum is a psychoactive plant that has been consumed as a recreational drug of abuse in the last years. Salvinorin A is its main constituent, and is responsible for the observed psychoactive effects. Both S. divinorum and salvinorin A have become controlled drugs in several countries, but they are not listed in the Schedules of the United Nations Drug Conventions. Regarding the effects of S. divinorum consumption, almost all studies are based on in vivo or on surveys, and there are no studies in vitro on its toxicity. Furthermore, all studies are focused on the acute toxicological effects of the plant. So, it is of utmost importance to further investigate the effects of S. divinorum and salvinorin A, particularly using in vitro models, after prolonged exposures. In this context, the present work evaluated the in vitro toxicity induced by S. divinorum or salvinorin A in six cell lines, through MTT assays and LC50 determination. Overall, results showed that both S. divinorum and salvinorin A are cytotoxic, dose- and time-dependent. Also, Hep G2 and Caco 2 (to a lesser extent) cells showed lower sensitivity to S. divinorum and salvinorin A when compared to the other studied cell lines. To our knowledge, this is the first work focused on the in vitro toxicity of S. divinorum and salvinorin A using a variety of cell lines, which are extensively described in literature and have been widely used in several in vitro studies.
Martinho, A., M Silva, S., & Gallardo, E. (2016). Cytotoxic Effects of Salvinorin A, A Major Constituent of Salvia divinorum. Medicinal Chemistry, 12(5), 432-440. 10.2174/1573406411666151005105617
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Investigation of Personality Change Following MDMA-Assisted Psychotherapy for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

August 1, 2016 / Anxiety disorders / PTSD, MDMA, Papers, Personal development, Personality, Psychiatry, Psychology, Publications / By / , , , , , ,

Wagner, M., Mithoefer, M., Mithoefer, A., MacAulay, R., Jerome, L., Bazaar-Klosinski, B., & Doblin, R. (2016). B-56Investigation of Personality Change Following MDMA-Assisted Psychotherapy for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology, 31(6), 634-634. 10.1093/arclin/acw043.131
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