Addressing a major interference in the quantification of psilocin in mouse plasma: Development of a validated liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry method
Journal of Chromatography A July 4, 2024 Amir Khajavinia, Déborah Michel, Udoka C. Ezeaka et al. 4 citations
Psilocin, the active metabolite of the psychedelic compound psilocybin, is being studied for treating anxiety, depression, and PTSD. Evaluating its pharmacokinetics is essential for drug development. During reversed-phase liquid chromatography analysis of mouse plasma, a previously unreported interference was encountered. The interference was identified as tryptophan using exact mass measurement and MS/MS analysis. A fast and reliable hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (HILIC-MS/MS) method was developed and validated that separates psilocin from tryptophan, achieving a lower limit of quantification of 0.5 ng/ml. The method was successfully applied to a pharmacokinetic study in C57BL/6 mice, determining psilocin concentrations in all analyzed plasma samples.