Psilocybin, the main psychoactive compound in psychedelic mushrooms, also shows antimicrobial activity. Mushrooms collected in Kodaikanal, Tamil Nadu, were extracted and analyzed using HPTLC and LC-MS. The extracted psilocybin inhibited bacterial pathogens such as Staphylococcus epidermidis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa at a minimum inhibitory concentration of 12.5 µg/mL, and fungal pathogens including Candida tropicalis and Trichophyton rubrum at 6.25 µg/mL. These results suggest that psilocybin could serve as a basis for developing new antimicrobial drugs, pending further in vivo efficacy and toxicity testing.
Psychedelic mushroom Psilocybe cubensis contains antimicrobial peptides that may inhibit Staphylococcus aureus. Proteomic analysis using LC-MS/MS and gene ontology identified several peptides with favorable binding scores, suggesting potential efficacy against this bacterial pathogen. The findings indicate a promising avenue for discovering novel antimicrobial peptides to combat antibiotic resistance.