An enzyme-assisted method produced psilocin glucuronide (PCG), a metabolite excreted in the urine of magic mushroom users. Using Aroclor 1254 pretreated rat liver microsomes, psilocin and the cofactor UDPGA were incubated for 20 hours. HPLC purification yielded 3.6 mg of PCG (19% yield). The structure was confirmed by mass spectrometry and NMR. The milligram amounts produced will enable direct identification and quantification of PCG in the urine of magic mushroom users.
Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) is a hallucinogen that activates the serotonin 2A receptor and is a controlled substance in Japan. Recently, MiPLA, an N-methyl-N-isopropyl derivative of LSD, has appeared in paper-sheet products in several countries. This work describes the three-step synthesis of MiPLA starting from ergometrine maleate, which also produced the (8S)-isomer, iso-MiPLA, as a by-product. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry showed that LSD, MiPLA, and iso-MiPLA have different retention times. Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy determined their chemical structures and revealed rotamers involving the N-methyl-N-isopropyl groups of tertiary amides in MiPLA and iso-MiPLA.