Studies on enzymatic hydrolysis of psilocin-O-glucuronide for screening of psilocin in human urine by liquid chromatography-triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry.
Journal of analytical toxicology June 4, 2026 David A Barajas, Heather C Noda Carter, Michael R Tomedi et al.
Psilocin, the active metabolite of psilocybin, binds to serotonin receptors and induces hallucinogenic effects. In urine, most psilocin is excreted as psilocin-O-glucuronide, which must be converted back to free psilocin for testing. This conversion is challenging due to psilocin's chemical instability. The study compared enzymatic hydrolysis using one conventional β-glucuronidase from E. coli and three recombinant enzymes (IMCSZyme, Kura Biotech-BGTurbo, and Kura Biotech-B-One) on human urine samples. Recombinant enzymes performed far better than the conventional one. Kura Biotech-BGTurbo hydrolyzed fastest at 25-50°C, while IMCSZyme worked consistently across 25-80°C. The results offer practical guidelines for forensic labs to improve psilocin testing.