Scalable Hybrid Synthetic/Biocatalytic Route to Psilocybin
Chemistry - A European Journal February 26, 2020 Janis Fricke, Robert B. Kargbo, Lars Regestein et al. 48 citations
Psilocybin, the main psychoactive alkaloid in Psilocybe mushrooms, is being tested as a treatment for depression. Pharmaceutical psilocybin is currently made by synthetic chemistry. Replacing a difficult chemical phosphorylation step with the mushroom enzyme PsiK allowed production of one gram of psilocybin from psilocin in 20 minutes. A pilot-scale protocol also yielded 150 mg of active, soluble PsiK enzyme. This combination of tryptamine chemistry and enzymatic catalysis may provide access to psilocybin at potentially lower cost.