Drug Testing and Analysis
October 29, 2020
Klára Gotvaldová, Kateřina Hájková, Jan Borovička et al.
69 citations
Psilocybin, psilocin, baeocystin, norbaeocystin, and aeruginascin are tryptamines structurally similar to serotonin. Psilocybin and its active metabolite psilocin are known for psychoactive effects and occur in most Psilocybe fungi. Freshly cultivated Psilocybe cubensis fruit bodies were used to monitor stability under various storage and processing conditions. Mycelium and individual parts (caps, stipes, basidiospores) were examined via ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. No tryptamines were detected in basidiospores; only psilocin was present at 0.47 wt.% in mycelium. Stipes contained about half the tryptamine alkaloids (0.52 wt.%) compared to caps (1.03 wt.%), but results were not statistically significant due to high variability. Highest degradation occurred in fresh mushrooms stored at -80°C; lowest decay in dried biomass stored in dark at room temperature.
International Journal of Molecular Sciences
November 15, 2022
Klára Gotvaldová, Jan Borovička, Kateřina Hájková et al.
50 citations
Wild mushrooms that contain psilocybin also carry several other tryptamine alkaloids in highly variable concentrations, making their effects unpredictable compared to pure psilocybin. Using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry, researchers measured psilocybin, psilocin, baeocystin, norbaeocystin, and aeruginascin in 226 fruiting bodies from 82 collections across seven genera. Psilocybe species had the highest psilocybin and psilocin levels, but no tryptamines were detected in Psilocybe fuscofulva or Psilocybe fimetaria. For many species, concentrations of baeocystin, norbaeocystin, and aeruginascin were reported for the first time. The extreme variability in tryptamine content poses a risk of overdose for consumers and complicates interpretation of medicinal effects compared to chemically pure psilocybin.
Persoonia - Molecular Phylogeny and Evolution of Fungi
November 26, 2014
Jan Borovička, Miroslav Obornı́k, J Strĭbrný et al.
30 citations
Five Psilocybe mushroom species with unclear evolutionary relationships were studied using four genetic markers. Most belong to Psilocybe section Psilocybe, but one species, P. laetissima, was reclassified into the genus Leratiomyces. For the first time, the psychedelic compounds psilocin and psilocybin were detected in P. medullosa using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. However, neither compound was found in P. atrobrunnea, even when its mycelia were grown on tryptamine- or tryptophan-enriched media, strongly suggesting that this species has lost the ability to produce these alkaloids. American and European collections of P. atrobrunnea were genetically nearly identical, but the name P. atrobrunnea is considered dubious, so the older name P. fuscofulva was adopted. American P. silvatica and European P. medullosa likely represent separate species.
The International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology
February 1, 2025
Martin Kuchař, Klara Gotwaldova, Jan Borovička et al.
1 citation
Tryptamine concentrations in psychotropic mushrooms vary enormously, which may alter medicinal effects compared to chemically pure psilocybin. Storage conditions strongly affect alkaloid decay: the greatest degradation occurred in fresh mushrooms stored at −80°C, while the least decay was seen in dried biomass kept in the dark at room temperature. The study measured psilocybin, psilocin, baeocystin, norbaeocystin, and aeruginascin in a large sample set of mushroom genera, using freshly cultivated Psilocybe cubensis fruit bodies for stability monitoring, and analyzed mycelium and individual fruiting body parts with validated UHPLC-MS/MS.