The Psilocybe cubensis mushroom is recognized as the primary source of psilocybin in the Americas, occurring naturally across various regions. This fungus has a long history of use in Mesoamerican rituals due to its capacity to induce altered states of consciousness. The defining characteristic of Psilocybe mushrooms is their psilocybin content. Following in...
Psilocybin-producing mushrooms exhibit considerable biochemical diversity, yet the extent of variability among strains within a single species under standardized conditions remains insufficiently characterized. In this study, we quantified psilocybin, psilocin, baeocystin, norbaeocystin, aeruginascin, and norpsilocin in the fruiting bodies of 14 distinct str...
The purpose of this review is to evaluate the possible benefits of using psilocybin(C12H17N2O4P), a naturally occurring psychoactive compound found in certain species of mushrooms, in the treatment of multiple forms of mental illness and substance abuse in either monotherapy or in conjunction with traditional psychiatric medications. The compound acts as a h...
Non-human models, including fish, are increasingly important for investigating how pharmacological agents such as hallucinogens influence behavior, physiology, and cellular processes. These models help to reveal underlying mechanisms and to support assessments of toxicological impact, efficacy, and safety. In this study, we used isogenic lineages of the amph...
Psychedelics a class of psychoactive compounds such as psilocybin, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), and dimethyltryptamine (DMT) are undergoing a scientific renaissance. Studies since 2020 have shown their therapeutic promise in mental health treatment. This Commentary synthesizes historical usage, current neuroscientific and clinical evidence, and explores...
Background: Psilocybin, a key psychoactive compound found in Psilocybe mushrooms, has gained increasing attention due to its therapeutic potential in neuropsychiatric disorders [1]. However, comparative preclinical data between isolated psilocybin and whole mushroom extracts remain scarce, particularly regarding behavioural reinforcement and peripheral toxic...
-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) biosynthetic pathway in hallucinogenic plant species traditionally used in shamanic rituals for spiritual healing. Leveraging the similarities in their chemical structures, we reconstructed in one plant assay the full biosynthetic pathways of five renowned natural psychedelics; psilocin and psilocybin found in mushrooms, DMT from pl...
Psilocybin, chemically known as (4-phosphoryloxy-N, N-dimethyltryptamine, 4-PODMT), is derived from the psychoactive mushroom genus, Psilocybe. Of the four active metabolites, psilocin readily enters systemic circulation. The psychoactive effects of psilocin are thought to arise through partial agonist effects at the 5-HT2A receptor. Psychedelic drugs, inclu...
INTRODUCTION: After decades of regulatory marginalization, psychedelic compounds have reemerged as promising therapeutic tools in psychiatry, driven by unmet clinical needs in treatment-resistant mental disorders and by growing evidence of rapid and sustained effects on mood, cognition, and behavior. AREAS COVERED: This narrative review critically examined t...
To support ongoing clinical trials, the major human metabolites of psilocybin were synthesized on a preparative scale, specifically psilocin-O-glucuronide and 4-hydroxyindole-3-acetic acid (4-HIAA), along with putative minor metabolites and several deuterium-labeled derivatives. Psilocybin, psilocin, psilocin-O-glucuronide, and 4-HIAA were assayed for engage...
A novel class of hybrid molecules is described in which nicotinic acid (vitamin B3) is covalently conjugated to substituted tryptamine scaffolds via an amide bond. Twelve compounds are presented in total; eleven represent new chemical entities. The series encompasses 4-hydroxy-, 5-methoxy-, 4-acetoxy-, 4-phosphoryloxy-, and N-alkyl-substituted variants, incl...
Bufotenin (also spelt as bufotenine) and its methylated derivative, 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine (5-MeO-DMT), are potent psychedelics that are found in many plants but also excreted by some species of toads. The compounds are regulated differently around the world, and although used in traditional medicine, 20-century prohibition culture has slowed resea...
Psilocybin is a psychoactive tryptamine produced by a phylogenetically discontinuous yet ecologically diverse subset of fungi. Despite decades of chemical, pharmacological, and ethnobiological research, the evolutionary forces driving the emergence and persistence of this compound remain insufficiently explained. Recent hypotheses proposing that psilocybin e...
High Resolution Image Download MS PowerPoint Slide Psilocybin, the phosphorylated prodrug of psilocin, holds therapeutic promise across a range of neuropsychiatric conditions, yet its clinical utility is constrained by acute psychoactive effects. Here, we report the rational design, synthesis, and evaluation of a focused library of fluorinated reversible N -...
Importance Psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) is a novel intervention for depressive symptoms, typically delivered with additional psychological therapy sessions. Quantitative evidence on how this concomitant therapy contributes to treatment outcomes is limited, highlighting the need for a systematic synthesis. Objective To evaluate whether the quantity of p...
Psilocybin is a molecule with significant potential for the treatment of mental disorders such as depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and substance abuse. In this study, it was explored the extraction of psilocybin from Psilocybe cubensis mushrooms using a factorial design approach, along with the physicochemical and phytochemical characteri...
Laws to control drugs have been progressively introduced since the early twentieth century to reduce non-medical use and drug-associated harm. Restrictions on what are now deemed ‘controlled drugs’ and, in New Zealand, ‘prohibited plants’ unjustly impact both medical care and research. The impact on research has frequently been cited in reference to the use ...
