Psilocybin treatment extends cellular lifespan and improves survival of aged mice

Introduction

Psilocybin, a naturally occurring psychedelic produced by certain mushrooms, has attracted substantial clinical interest because single-dose and short-course treatments produce durable improvements in psychiatric and some neurodegenerative conditions. Despite a growing clinical literature (>150 studies completed or ongoing), the molecular and systemic mechanisms that might underpin these prolonged benefits remain poorly understood. Previous work has largely emphasised neural and behavioural outcomes; comparatively few studies have investigated peripheral or cellular ageing pathways such as telomere dynamics, oxidative stress, or canonical senescence markers. Kato and colleagues set out to test the ‘‘psilocybin‑telomere hypothesis’’ by experimentally evaluating whether psilocybin (via its active metabolite psilocin) directly affects cellular ageing and organismal longevity. The study used in vitro replicative senescence models (human fetal lung and adult skin fibroblasts) treated with psilocin, and an in vivo longevity experiment in aged (19‑month) female mice treated monthly with oral psilocybin. The investigators aimed to measure effects on cellular lifespan, senescence markers, oxidative stress, telomere length, and survival in aged animals to assess whether psilocybin/psilocin exerts geroprotective effects.