Determination of Psychoactive Alkaloids in Psilocybe subaeruginosa of Victoria by HPLC-PDA
Mohammad Reza Mirzadeh
Psilocin, psilocybin and the associated tryptamines are psychoactive alkaloids which are naturally synthesised by Psilocybe (Fr.) P.Kumm. fungi, commonly referred to as magic mushrooms. These psychoactive fungi were and may still be used in traditional healing rituals, particularly by certain ethnic groups for mental healing, influencing modern psychedelic studies. Since these substances are intermittently determined in analytical laboratories, validated methods for fast, accurate and reliable analysis are in demand.
Therapeutic potentials of these psychoactive compounds have encouraged academic and commercial activities to further explore the chemistry of these molecules, as well as to find advanced methods for consistent production.
In this study, a method for clinical potency determination of psychoactive alkaloids in the hallucinogenic mushroom, Psilocybe subaeruginosa, was developed using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with a photodiode array detector (HPLC-PDA). Mushroom samples were obtained from parks around Melbourne, grown from different natural substrates. An extraction method was developed for maximum recovery, and no significant matrix effects were observed. Norbaeocystin, baeocystin, psilocybin and psilocin were detected and quantified in fresh and dry mushroom samples. The quantities of detected tryptamines will be shown in mg/g of dry mushrooms.
