Development and validation of a sensitive LC–MS-MS method to quantify psilocin in authentic oral fluid samples
Journal of Analytical Toxicology August 29, 2023 Marilia Santoro Cardoso, Kelly Francisco da Cunha, Izabelly Geraldes Silva et al. 3 citations
Psilocin, the active compound produced when psilocybin from magic mushrooms is ingested, is unstable and oxidizes quickly, making its detection in biological samples challenging. A new method using liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry was developed and validated to measure psilocin in oral fluid. The method requires only 100 microliters of sample, achieves detection limits of 0.05 ng/mL, and performs reliably with low bias and imprecision. Psilocin was stable in oral fluid at −20°C for 24 hours, at 4°C for 72 hours, and at 24°C for 24 hours, but degraded after three freeze-thaw cycles. Analysis of five authentic samples from party attendees found psilocin concentrations between 0.08 and 36.4 ng/mL, marking the first report of such measurements in oral fluid.