Bioscience Biotechnology and Biochemistry
August 23, 2009
Yoshihiro Matsushima, Osamu Shirota, Ruri Kikura‐hanajiri et al.
77 citations
A hallucinogenic mushroom, Psilocybe argentipes, reduced marble-burying behavior in mice, a model for obsessive-compulsive disorder, without affecting their general movement. The same dose of authentic psilocybin also inhibited burying, but P. argentipes was more effective. These results suggest the mushroom could be useful in clinical therapy for obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Current Neuropharmacology
March 1, 2011
Chiharu Sogawa, Norio Sogawa, Kazumi Ohyama et al.
50 citations
Methylone, a synthetic hallucinogenic amphetamine analog similar to MDMA, inhibits the activity of dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin transporters in a concentration-dependent manner, with the strongest effect on the norepinephrine transporter, followed by dopamine and then serotonin transporters. Compared to methamphetamine, methylone is less effective at blocking dopamine and norepinephrine transporters but more effective at blocking the serotonin transporter. Methylone alone is not toxic to cells except at high concentrations, but when combined with methamphetamine, it produces a synergistic toxic effect in cells that express monoamine transporters, likely because methylone acts as a transportable substrate that inhibits transporter function.
YAKUGAKU ZASSHI
June 1, 2009
Maiko Kawamura, Yukihiro Goda, Ruri Kikura‐hanajiri
19 citations
A rapid screening method using Direct Analysis in Real Time time-of-flight mass spectrometry (DART-TOFMS) was developed to identify psychotropic compounds in plant products of abuse in Japan without sample preparation. Among 36 products, protonated molecular ions corresponding to six hallucinogenic constituents—mescaline, salvinorin A, N,N-dimethyltryptamine, harmine, harmaline, and lysergamide—were detected in 21 products, with contents ranging from 0.05 to 45 micrograms per milligram. Results matched those from liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Controlled narcotics such as tetrahydrocannabinol, opioid alkaloids, and psilocin were also directly detected in marijuana, opium gum, and magic mushrooms. DART-TOFMS offers a simple, rapid screening tool for targeted psychotropic natural products, though matrix effects from other plant ingredients remain difficult to estimate.
Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis
July 21, 2020
Izumi Morita, Hiroyuki Oyama, Yuki Kiguchi et al.
17 citations
Two independent monoclonal antibodies were generated against psilocybin and its dephosphorylated metabolite psilocin, the psychoactive compounds in hallucinogenic mushrooms. Novel immunogenic conjugates were prepared by modifying the side chains of these molecules and linking them to carrier proteins. Mice were immunized, and hybridoma clones secreting the specific antibodies were established. Competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) using these antibodies enabled detection of psilocybin and psilocin at ranges of approximately 0.20–20 μg/assay and 0.040–2.0 μg/assay, respectively, with low cross-reactivity between the two compounds. In dried Psilocybe cubensis powder, psilocybin and psilocin contents were 0.39% and 0.32% by weight. These ELISAs offer a promising tool for identifying illegal hallucinogenic mushrooms.
YAKUGAKU ZASSHI
February 1, 2010
Nahoko Uchiyama, Norimasa Miyazawa, Maiko Kawamura et al.
16 citations
By July 2009, Japan had designated 40 psychoactive substances (including 12 tryptamines, 17 phenethylamines, 3 piperazines, 6 alkyl nitrites, 1 diterpene, and 1 plant) as controlled substances under the Pharmaceutical Affairs Law to prevent abuse. Despite these controls, new designer drugs continue to appear in the illegal market. Analysis of two products purchased in Japan between October 2008 and February 2009 identified four compounds: three phenethylamine derivatives—N-Me-2-FMP, ALEPH-4, and DON—and one tryptamine derivative, 5-MeO-EPT. N-Me-2-FMP and 5-MeO-EPT were newly identified, while ALEPH-4 and DON were found as novel illegal drugs in Japan.
YAKUGAKU ZASSHI
October 31, 2020
Rie Tanaka, Maiko Kawamura, Takashi Hakamatsuka et al.
15 citations
Three new LSD-like designer drugs were identified in paper sheet products seized in Japan between September 2019 and March 2020. Using methanol extraction followed by LC-MS, high-resolution MS, GC-MS, and NMR analyses, the compounds were identified as 1cP-LSD, MIPLA, and 1B-LSD. Like other N1-acylated LSD derivatives, 1cP-LSD and 1B-LSD easily break down into LSD during GC-MS analysis, requiring caution when testing.
YAKUGAKU ZASSHI
April 30, 2020
Rie Tanaka, Maiko Kawamura, Takashi Hakamatsuka et al.
15 citations
From 2014 to 2017 in Japan, four lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) derivatives were detected in paper sheet products sold as designer drugs. The compounds were identified as ALD-52, ETH-LAD, AL-LAD, and 1P-LSD using GC-MS, LC-MS, LC-Q-TOF-MS, and NMR analyses. Extraction methods and analytical conditions for GC-MS, LC-MS, and LC-FL were studied. As of September 2019, 2372 substances and two plants are controlled as "Designated Substances" under Japanese law. Only 1P-LSD was already regulated since April 2016; pharmacological evaluation of the other derivatives is ongoing to inform future legislation.
Drug Testing and Analysis
February 18, 2026
Rie Tanaka, Maiko Kawamura, Michiho Ito et al.
Two new lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) analogs, 1Bz-LSD and 1-TMSBz-LSD, were identified in tablet and paper sheet products sold in Japan. Using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, liquid chromatography-photodiode array-mass spectrometry, liquid chromatography with hybrid quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry, and nuclear magnetic resonance, the structures of the compounds were determined. 1Bz-LSD was found in a tablet product, and 1-TMSBz-LSD was found in a paper sheet product. This is the first report of these specific analogs being detected in such products in Japan.