BACKGROUND: Although Basidiomycota produce pharmaceutically and ecologically relevant natural products, knowledge of how they coordinate their primary and secondary metabolism is virtually non-existent. Upon transition from vegetative mycelium to carpophore formation, mushrooms of the genus Psilocybe use L-tryptophan to supply the biosynthesis of the psyched...
Several phase II studies have demonstrated that psilocybin-assisted therapy shows therapeutic potential across a spectrum of neuropsychiatric conditions, including major depressive disorder (MDD). However, the mechanisms underlying its often persisting beneficial effects remain unclear. Observational research suggests that improvements in psychological flexi...
Abstract Psilocybin, the natural hallucinogen produced by Psilocybe (“magic”) mushrooms, holds great promise for the treatment of depression and several other mental health conditions. The final step in the psilocybin biosynthetic pathway, dimethylation of the tryptophan-derived intermediate norbaeocystin, is catalysed by PsiM. Here we present atomic resolut...
Psilocybin is a serotonergic psychedelic shown to have enduring antidepressant effects. Currently, the mechanism for its enduring effects is not well understood. Empathy and prosocial behavior may be important for understanding the therapeutic benefit of psilocybin. In this article we review the effect of psilocybin on empathy and prosocial behavior. Moreove...
There is a renewed interest in psychedelic drugs as potential therapeutic agents for the treatment of psychiatric disorders. In particular, psilocybin has shown promise for the treatment of refractory depression 1 and major depressive disorder 2, and has also been explored as a treatment for tobacco and alcohol abuse 3, 4. However, despite suggestive evidenc...
Psilocybe mushrooms, otherwise known as “magic” mushrooms, owe their psychedelic effect to psilocin, a serotonin subtype 2A (5-HT2A ) receptor agonist and metabolite of psilocybin, the primary indole alkaloid found in Psilocybe species. Metabolomics is an advanced fingerprinting tool that can be utilized to identify the differences among fungal life stages t...
Psilocybin, a psychoactive alkaloid with hallucinogenic properties, exists in a variety of hallucinogenic mushrooms. As a study tool to imitate psychosis, psilocybin has aroused a lot of interest in the biological community due to its various possible therapeutic benefits. It is also a very popular and widely misused natural hallucinogens with distinct metab...
BACKGROUND: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression are highly comorbid. Psilocybin exerts substantial therapeutic effects on depression by promoting neuroplasticity. Fear extinction is a key process in the mechanism of first-line exposure-based therapies for PTSD. We hypothesized that psilocybin would facilitate fear extinction by promoting hipp...
The therapeutic use of psilocybin, the active ingredient in “magic mushrooms,” is revolutionizing mental health care for a number of conditions, including depression, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and end-of-life care. This has spotlighted the current state of knowledge of psilocybin, including the organisms that endogenously produce it.
Many species of Inosperma cause neurotoxic poisoning in humans after consumption around the world. However, the toxic species of Inosperma and its toxin content remain unclear. In the present study, we proposed five new Inosperma species from China, namely, I. longisporum, I. nivalellum, I. sphaerobulbosum, I. squamulosobrunneum, and I. squamulosohinnuleum. ...
Psilocybin fungi, aka "magic" mushrooms, are well known for inducing colorful and visionary states of mind. Such psychoactive properties and the ease of cultivating their basidiocarps within low-tech setups make psilocybin fungi promising pharmacological tools for mental health applications. Understanding of the intrinsic electrical patterns occurring during...
Medical hallucinogens have been important compounds of research interest in recent years. Computational chemistry methods like Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations at BP86/Def2-TZVP level are carried out to get more insight into the structural preferences and mechanism of hallucinogens like psilocybin and mescaline derivatives at the molecular level....
Clinical studies suggest the therapeutic potential of psychedelics, including ayahuasca, DMT, psilocybin, and LSD, in stress-related disorders. These substances induce cognitive, antidepressant, anxiolytic, and antiaddictive effects suggested to arise from biological changes similar to conventional antidepressants or the rapid-acting substance ketamine. The ...
The Psilocybe genus is well known for the synthesis of valuable psychoactive compounds such as Psilocybin, Psilocin, Baeocystin and Aeruginascin. The ubiquity of Psilocybin synthesis in Psilocybe has been attributed to a horizontal gene transfer mechanism of a ~20Kb gene cassette. A recently published highly contiguous reference genome derived from long read...
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Searchable psilocybin and psilocin bibliometrics.