Novel analogues of the psychedelic compound 5-MeO-DMT have shown demonstrable safety in preclinical results.
Drug discovery and development company, Mindset Pharma, has carried out head-to-head preclinical comparisons of its Family 4 compounds, comprised of DMT and 5-MeO-DMT inspired analogues. The results have demonstrated a significant decrease in serotonergic toxicity, an overload of serotonin which can cause a range of mild to life-threatening symptoms.
The company says the results confirm its previous findings that the Family 4 drug candidates demonstrated superior efficacy compared to 5-MeO-DMT.
Mindset CEO, James Lanthier, commented: “DMT and 5-MeO-DMT both show promise as medicinal psychedelics due to their short duration of action and high potency. However, our studies suggest that serotonergic toxicity could represent a considerable health risk as patients are more broadly treated with psychedelics, potentially leading to high blood pressure, tremors, delirium and a range of other symptoms.
“Our exciting preclinical results suggest that our next generation drug candidates have the potential to offer a safer and more convenient solution for clinic-based therapy.”
Read more: Beckley Psytech raises £58m for psychedelic medicine breakthroughs
“In-vivo models confirmed potential safety concerns associated with serotonergic toxicity of 5-MeO-DMT, indicated by a higher number of instances of 5-HT syndrome compared to some of Mindset’s NCE compounds,” added Joseph Araujo, Chief Scientific Officer of Mindset.
“These results indicate the potential for 5-MeO-DMT to induce serotonin syndrome, which is a consequence of excess serotonin (5-HT) agonism and can lead to serious health complications. However, some of Mindset’s drug candidates showed no signs of inducing 5-HT syndrome, suggesting a significantly improved safety profile compared to 5-MeO-DMT.
“Mindset’s Family 4 compounds can potentially be developed with marked improvements in safety, efficacy, and duration of action compared to 5-MeO-DMT, making them more suitable for a wider range of indications.”
