Efeitos da N,N-Dimetiltriptamina (DMT) in vitro sobre a atividade de síntese de osteoblastos extraídos de ratos

Abstract

N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) is a psychoactive alkaloid found in the drink Ayahuasca, widely used in religious rituals (Santo Daime) and shamanic rituals of indigenous Amazonian tribes. Furthermore, the presence of DMT has been identified in animal tissue, such as in the pineal gland. This substance has the potential to mimic the effect of serotonin on the central nervous system through 5HT receptors. However, there is still no evidence to demonstrate the effect of DMT on cells that make up skeletal tissue, such as osteoblasts, which also express such receptors. After extraction, osteoblasts were cultured and separated into six experimental groups: control and DMT at concentrations of 1 nM, 10 nM, 100 nM, 1 µM and 10 µM. At seven, 14 and 21 days, cell viability, alkaline phosphatase activity, collagen synthesis and cellularity/field were evaluated. At 21 days, mineralized nodules were counted and gene expression of BMP-2, RUNX-2, osteocalcin and osteopontin was performed. It was observed that cell viability, alkaline phosphatase activity and collagen synthesis showed, after seven days, an average increase in DMT concentrations of 100 nM and 1 µM in relation to the control group. Furthermore, there was an average increase in collagen synthesis, at seven, 14 and 21 days, in all doses evaluated in this study. At seven, 14 and 21 days, there was an increase in cellularity in the 100 nM group compared to the control group. At 21 days, there was greater cellularity, greater production of mineralized nodules and an increase in the expression of the BMP-2 gene in the 1 µM group in relation to the control. Thus, this study demonstrated that DMT increased the activity of osteoblast synthesis, especially at a concentration of 1 µM, revealing a potential therapeutic agent for osteopenic disorders.