ACS Publications. Most Trusted. Most Cited. Most Read
Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Tryptamines Found in Hallucinogenic Mushrooms: Norbaeocystin, Baeocystin, Norpsilocin, and Aeruginascin
My Activity
    Article

    Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Tryptamines Found in Hallucinogenic Mushrooms: Norbaeocystin, Baeocystin, Norpsilocin, and Aeruginascin
    Click to copy article linkArticle link copied!

    • Alexander M. Sherwood*
      Alexander M. Sherwood
      Usona Institute, 2780 Woods Hollow Road, Madison, Wisconsin 53711, United States
      *E-mail: [email protected]
    • Adam L. Halberstadt
      Adam L. Halberstadt
      Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, United States
      Research Service, VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, California 92161, United States
    • Adam K. Klein
      Adam K. Klein
      Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, United States
    • John D. McCorvy
      John D. McCorvy
      Department of Cell Biology, Neurobiology, and Anatomy, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53226, United States
    • Kristi W. Kaylo
      Kristi W. Kaylo
      Usona Institute, 2780 Woods Hollow Road, Madison, Wisconsin 53711, United States
    • Robert B. Kargbo
      Robert B. Kargbo
      Usona Institute, 2780 Woods Hollow Road, Madison, Wisconsin 53711, United States
    • Poncho Meisenheimer
      Poncho Meisenheimer
      Usona Institute, 2780 Woods Hollow Road, Madison, Wisconsin 53711, United States
    Other Access OptionsSupporting Information (1)

    Journal of Natural Products

    Cite this: J. Nat. Prod. 2020, 83, 2, 461–467
    Click to copy citationCitation copied!
    https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jnatprod.9b01061
    Published February 20, 2020
    Copyright © 2020 American Chemical Society and American Society of Pharmacognosy

    Abstract

    Click to copy section linkSection link copied!
    Abstract Image

    A general synthetic method was developed to access known tryptamine natural products present in psilocybin-producing mushrooms. In vitro and in vivo experiments were then conducted to inform speculations on the psychoactive properties, or lack thereof, of the natural products. In animal models, psychedelic activity by baeocystin alone was not evident using the mouse head twitch response assay, despite its putative dephosphorylated metabolite, norpsilocin, possessing potent agonist activity at the 5-HT2A receptor.

    Copyright © 2020 American Chemical Society and American Society of Pharmacognosy

    Read this article

    To access this article, please review the available access options below.

    Get instant access

    Purchase Access

    Read this article for 48 hours. Check out below using your ACS ID or as a guest.

    Recommended

    Access through Your Institution

    You may have access to this article through your institution.

    Your institution does not have access to this content. Add or change your institution or let them know you’d like them to include access.

    Supporting Information

    Click to copy section linkSection link copied!

    The Supporting Information is available free of charge at https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.jnatprod.9b01061.

    • 1H and 13C NMR spectra for all final products and intermediates; UPLC chromatograms and low/high collision energy HRMS spectra for 47 (PDF)

    Terms & Conditions

    Most electronic Supporting Information files are available without a subscription to ACS Web Editions. Such files may be downloaded by article for research use (if there is a public use license linked to the relevant article, that license may permit other uses). Permission may be obtained from ACS for other uses through requests via the RightsLink permission system: http://pubs.acs.org/page/copyright/permissions.html.

    Cited By

    Click to copy section linkSection link copied!
    Citation Statements
    Explore this article's citation statements on scite.ai

    This article is cited by 52 publications.

    1. Grant C. Glatfelter, Allison A. Clark, Natalie G. Cavalco, Antonio Landavazo, John S. Partilla, Marilyn Naeem, James A. Golen, Andrew R. Chadeayne, David R. Manke, Bruce E. Blough, John D. McCorvy, Michael H. Baumann. Serotonin 1A Receptors Modulate Serotonin 2A Receptor-Mediated Behavioral Effects of 5-Methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine Analogs in Mice. ACS Chemical Neuroscience 2024, 15 (24) , 4458-4477. https://doi.org/10.1021/acschemneuro.4c00513
    2. Alexander M. Sherwood, Elise K. Burkhartzmeyer, Samuel E. Williamson, Michael H. Baumann, Grant C. Glatfelter. Psychedelic-like Activity of Norpsilocin Analogues. ACS Chemical Neuroscience 2024, 15 (2) , 315-327. https://doi.org/10.1021/acschemneuro.3c00610
    3. Grant C. Glatfelter, Marilyn Naeem, Duyen N. K. Pham, James A. Golen, Andrew R. Chadeayne, David R. Manke, Michael H. Baumann. Receptor Binding Profiles for Tryptamine Psychedelics and Effects of 4-Propionoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine in Mice. ACS Pharmacology & Translational Science 2023, 6 (4) , 567-577. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsptsci.2c00222
    4. Michael J. Cunningham, Hailey A. Bock, Inis C. Serrano, Benjamin Bechand, D. J. Vidyadhara, Emma M. Bonniwell, David Lankri, Priscilla Duggan, Antonina L. Nazarova, Andrew B. Cao, Maggie M. Calkins, Prashant Khirsariya, Christopher Hwu, Vsevolod Katritch, Sreeganga S. Chandra, John D. McCorvy, Dalibor Sames. Pharmacological Mechanism of the Non-hallucinogenic 5-HT2A Agonist Ariadne and Analogs. ACS Chemical Neuroscience 2023, 14 (1) , 119-135. https://doi.org/10.1021/acschemneuro.2c00597
    5. Grant C. Glatfelter, Eline Pottie, John S. Partilla, Alexander M. Sherwood, Kristi Kaylo, Duyen N. K. Pham, Marilyn Naeem, Vamshikrishna Reddy Sammeta, Stacie DeBoer, James A. Golen, Elliott B. Hulley, Christophe P. Stove, Andrew R. Chadeayne, David R. Manke, Michael H. Baumann. Structure–Activity Relationships for Psilocybin, Baeocystin, Aeruginascin, and Related Analogues to Produce Pharmacological Effects in Mice. ACS Pharmacology & Translational Science 2022, 5 (11) , 1181-1196. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsptsci.2c00177
    6. Grant C. Glatfelter, Duyen N. K. Pham, Donna Walther, James A. Golen, Andrew R. Chadeayne, Michael H. Baumann, David R. Manke. Synthesis, Structural Characterization, and Pharmacological Activity of Novel Quaternary Salts of 4-Substituted Tryptamines. ACS Omega 2022, 7 (28) , 24888-24894. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsomega.2c03476
    7. Janis Fricke, Alexander M. Sherwood, Adam L. Halberstadt, Robert B. Kargbo, Dirk Hoffmeister. Chemoenzymatic Synthesis of 5-Methylpsilocybin: A Tryptamine with Potential Psychedelic Activity. Journal of Natural Products 2021, 84 (4) , 1403-1408. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jnatprod.1c00087
    8. Andrew R. Chadeayne, Duyen N. K. Pham, Brian G. Reid, James A. Golen, David R. Manke. Active Metabolite of Aeruginascin (4-Hydroxy-N,N,N-trimethyltryptamine): Synthesis, Structure, and Serotonergic Binding Affinity. ACS Omega 2020, 5 (27) , 16940-16943. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsomega.0c02208
    9. Robert B. Kargbo, Alexander Sherwood, Andrew Walker, Nicholas V. Cozzi, Raymond E. Dagger, Jessica Sable, Kelsey O’Hern, Kristi Kaylo, Tura Patterson, Gary Tarpley, Poncho Meisenheimer. Direct Phosphorylation of Psilocin Enables Optimized cGMP Kilogram-Scale Manufacture of Psilocybin. ACS Omega 2020, 5 (27) , 16959-16966. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsomega.0c02387
    10. Tim Schäfer, Alexander Sherwood, Thomas Kirkland, Thomas Krüger, Jakob Worbs, Olaf Kniemeyer, Markus Gressler, Dirk Hoffmeister. In Vitro Psilocybin Synthesis by Co‐Immobilized Enzymes. Chemistry – A European Journal 2025, 24 https://doi.org/10.1002/chem.202501037
    11. Sung‐Hyun Kim, Sumin Yang, Jeehye Jung, Jeonghyeon Choi, Mingon Kang, Jae‐Yeol Joo. Psychedelic Drugs in Mental Disorders: Current Clinical Scope and Deep Learning‐Based Advanced Perspectives. Advanced Science 2025, 12 (15) https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202413786
    12. Juan Pablo Yasmo Perez, Carolina Chegwin Angarita, Omar David Saldarriaga Ochoa, Sergio Andrés Urrego Restrepo. Development and validation of a HPLC-DAD method for determining the content of tryptamines in methanolic extracts of fruiting bodies of mushrooms belonging to species of the Psilocybe genus.. Talanta 2025, 9 , 127777. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.talanta.2025.127777
    13. Omer A. Syed, Rotem Petranker, Emily C. Fewster, Valentyn Sobolenko, Zeina Beidas, M. Ishrat Husain, Stephanie Lake, Philippe Lucas. Preferences, Perceptions, and Environmental Considerations of Natural and Synthetic Psychedelic Substances: Findings from the Global Psychedelic Survey. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs 2024, 87 , 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1080/02791072.2024.2446445
    14. Fiona C. Kanis, Caroline N. Broude, Elle B. Hellwarth, William J. Gibbons, Abhishek K. Sen, Alexandra M. Adams, Xin Wang, J. Andrew Jones. Evaluation of TrpM and PsiD substrate promiscuity reveals new biocatalytic capabilities. Biotechnology Progress 2024, 40 (6) https://doi.org/10.1002/btpr.3492
    15. Qin Luo, Jin-Mei Qi, Li Chen, Cen Jian, Cong-Hai Zhang, Sheng-Jiao Yan. Rh( iii )-catalyzed regioselective C–H activation/[3 + 2] cyclization of KHAs with iodonium ylides accessing pyrimido[1,2- a ]indole derivatives. Organic Chemistry Frontiers 2024, 11 (21) , 6048-6054. https://doi.org/10.1039/D4QO01383B
    16. Ryan J. Rakoczy, Grace N. Runge, Abhishek K. Sen, Oscar Sandoval, Hunter G. Wells, Quynh Nguyen, Brianna R. Roberts, Jon H. Sciortino, William J. Gibbons, Lucas M. Friedberg, J. Andrew Jones, Matthew S. McMurray. Pharmacological and behavioural effects of tryptamines present in psilocybin‐containing mushrooms. British Journal of Pharmacology 2024, 181 (19) , 3627-3641. https://doi.org/10.1111/bph.16466
    17. Nilubon Thaoboonruang, Manupat Lohitnavy, Ornrat Lohitnavy. Pharmacokinetics of Psilocybin, a Tryptamine Alkaloid in Magic Mushroom ( Psilocybe cubensis ): A Systematic Review. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs 2024, 23 , 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1080/02791072.2024.2399128
    18. Orr Shahar, Alexander Botvinnik, Amit Shwartz, Elad Lerer, Peretz Golding, Alex Buko, Ethan Hamid, Dani Kahn, Miles Guralnick, Karin Blakolmer, Gilly Wolf, Amit Lotan, Leonard Lerer, Bernard Lerer, Tzuri Lifschytz. Effect of chemically synthesized psilocybin and psychedelic mushroom extract on molecular and metabolic profiles in mouse brain. Molecular Psychiatry 2024, 29 (7) , 2059-2073. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41380-024-02477-w
    19. Jan Thomann, Karolina E. Kolaczynska, Oliver V. Stoeckmann, Deborah Rudin, Patrick Vizeli, Marius C. Hoener, Christopher R. Pryce, Franz X. Vollenweider, Matthias E. Liechti, Urs Duthaler. In vitro and in vivo metabolism of psilocybin’s active metabolite psilocin. Frontiers in Pharmacology 2024, 15 https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2024.1391689
    20. Liang Wang, Xiaopei Song, Fengxia Guo, Lubin Xu, Fangzhi Hu, Feng-Wei Guo, Shuai-Shuai Li. Diversity-oriented synthesis of indole-fused scaffolds and bis(indolyl)methane from tosyl-protected tryptamine. Organic & Biomolecular Chemistry 2024, 22 (14) , 2824-2834. https://doi.org/10.1039/D4OB00099D
    21. Roman Goff, Morgan Smith, Sabrina Islam, Sue Sisley, Jonathan Ferguson, Scott Kuzdzal, Sunil Badal, Arun Babu Kumar, Uma Sreenivasan, Kevin A. Schug. Determination of psilocybin and psilocin content in multiple Psilocybe cubensis mushroom strains using liquid chromatography – tandem mass spectrometry. Analytica Chimica Acta 2024, 1288 , 342161. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aca.2023.342161
    22. Marco Pepe, Mohsen Hesami, Karla A. de la Cerda, Melissa L. Perreault, Tom Hsiang, Andrew Maxwell Phineas Jones. A journey with psychedelic mushrooms: From historical relevance to biology, cultivation, medicinal uses, biotechnology, and beyond. Biotechnology Advances 2023, 69 , 108247. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biotechadv.2023.108247
    23. Nikolai A. Arutiunov, Alexander V. Aksenov, Dmitrii A. Aksenov, Igor A. Kurenkov, Inna V. Aksenova, Anna M. Zatsepilina, Nicolai A. Aksenov, Alexander Kornienko. Convenient synthesis of (Z)-3-(1-aryl-2-nitrovinyl)-indoles. Tetrahedron Letters 2023, 129 , 154722. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tetlet.2023.154722
    24. Pravesh Sharma, Quang Anh Nguyen, Sadie J Matthews, Erin Carpenter, Douglas B Mathews, Christi A Patten, Christopher J Hammond. Psilocybin history, action and reaction: A narrative clinical review. Journal of Psychopharmacology 2023, 37 (9) , 849-865. https://doi.org/10.1177/02698811231190858
    25. Marilyn Naeem, Alexander N. Le, Barbara E. Bauer, Andrew R. Chadeayne, James A. Golen, David R. Manke. N -Cyclohexyltryptamine: freebase, bromide and fumarate. Acta Crystallographica Section E Crystallographic Communications 2023, 79 (8) , 752-756. https://doi.org/10.1107/S2056989023006217
    26. Matthew Meyer, Jason Slot. The evolution and ecology of psilocybin in nature. Fungal Genetics and Biology 2023, 167 , 103812. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fgb.2023.103812
    27. John R. Kelly, Gerard Clarke, Andrew Harkin, Sinead C. Corr, Stephen Galvin, Vishnu Pradeep, John F. Cryan, Veronica O'Keane, Timothy G. Dinan. Seeking the Psilocybiome: Psychedelics meet the microbiota-gut-brain axis. International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology 2023, 23 (2) , 100349. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijchp.2022.100349
    28. Uroš Laban, Marilyn Naeem, Andrew R. Chadeayne, James A. Golen, David R. Manke. Synthesis and structure of 4-hydroxy- N -isopropyltryptamine (4-HO-NiPT) and its precursors. Acta Crystallographica Section E Crystallographic Communications 2023, 79 (4) , 280-286. https://doi.org/10.1107/S2056989023002098
    29. Megan Pedicini, Zachary A. Cordner. Utility of preclinical models in the study of psilocybin – A comprehensive review. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews 2023, 146 , 105046. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105046
    30. Jani Silva, Juliana Garcia, Rafaela Guimarães, Cátia Palito, André Lemos, Lillian Barros, Maria José Alves. Alkaloids from Fungi. 2023, 529-554. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-18587-8_16
    31. Raphaël Serreau, Ammar Amirouche, Amine Benyamina, Sabine Berteina-Raboin. A Review of Synthetic Access to Therapeutic Compounds Extracted from Psilocybe. Pharmaceuticals 2023, 16 (1) , 40. https://doi.org/10.3390/ph16010040
    32. Amit Fallek, Or Fleischer, Fatma Saady, Moshe Portnoy. Improving Site Selectivity in Phosphorylation of Amphiphilic Diols through Catalyst Design. European Journal of Organic Chemistry 2022, 2022 (46) https://doi.org/10.1002/ejoc.202201089
    33. Dominique Strauss, Soumya Ghosh, Zurika Murray, Marieka Gryzenhout. Psilocybin containing mushrooms: a rapidly developing biotechnology industry in the psychiatry, biomedical and nutraceutical fields. 3 Biotech 2022, 12 (12) https://doi.org/10.1007/s13205-022-03355-4
    34. Federico Cavanna, Stephanie Muller, Laura Alethia de la Fuente, Federico Zamberlan, Matías Palmucci, Lucie Janeckova, Martin Kuchar, Carla Pallavicini, Enzo Tagliazucchi. Microdosing with psilocybin mushrooms: a double-blind placebo-controlled study. Translational Psychiatry 2022, 12 (1) https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-022-02039-0
    35. Alice Wong, Amir Raz. Microdosing with classical psychedelics: Research trajectories and practical considerations. Transcultural Psychiatry 2022, 59 (5) , 675-690. https://doi.org/10.1177/13634615221129115
    36. Piotr Bałczewski, Krzysztof Owsianik, Marika Turek. Quinquevalent phosphorus acids. 2022, 181-327. https://doi.org/10.1039/9781839166198-00181
    37. Sakari Santeri Rusanen, Suchetana De, Emmanuelle Andree Danielle Schindler, Ville Aleksi Artto, Markus Storvik. Self-Reported Efficacy of Treatments in Cluster Headache: a Systematic Review of Survey Studies. Current Pain and Headache Reports 2022, 26 (8) , 623-637. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11916-022-01063-5
    38. Jesús G. Zorrilla, Antonio Evidente. Structures and Biological Activities of Alkaloids Produced by Mushrooms, a Fungal Subgroup. Biomolecules 2022, 12 (8) , 1025. https://doi.org/10.3390/biom12081025
    39. Sebastian Dörner, Kai Rogge, Janis Fricke, Tim Schäfer, Jacob M. Wurlitzer, Markus Gressler, Duyen N. K. Pham, David R. Manke, Andrew R. Chadeayne, Dirk Hoffmeister. Genetic Survey of Psilocybe Natural Products. ChemBioChem 2022, 23 (14) https://doi.org/10.1002/cbic.202200249
    40. Piotr Popik, Adam Hogendorf, Ryszard Bugno, Shaun Yon-Seng Khoo, Pawel Zajdel, Natalia Malikowska-Racia, Agnieszka Nikiforuk, Joanna Golebiowska. Effects of ketamine optical isomers, psilocybin, psilocin and norpsilocin on time estimation and cognition in rats. Psychopharmacology 2022, 239 (6) , 1689-1703. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-021-06020-5
    41. Alexandra M. Adams, Nicholas A. Anas, Abhishek K. Sen, Jordan D. Hinegardner-Hendricks, Philip J. O’Dell, William J. Gibbons, Jessica E. Flower, Matthew S. McMurray, J. Andrew Jones. Development of an E. coli-based norbaeocystin production platform and evaluation of behavioral effects in rats. Metabolic Engineering Communications 2022, 14 , e00196. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mec.2022.e00196
    42. Franco Della-Felice, Aloisio de Andrade Bartolomeu, Ronaldo Aloise Pilli. The phosphate ester group in secondary metabolites. Natural Product Reports 2022, 39 (5) , 1066-1107. https://doi.org/10.1039/D1NP00078K
    43. R.C. Van Court, M.S. Wiseman, K.W. Meyer, D.J. Ballhorn, K.R. Amses, J.C. Slot, B.T.M. Dentinger, R. Garibay-Orijel, J.K. Uehling. Diversity, biology, and history of psilocybin-containing fungi: Suggestions for research and technological development. Fungal Biology 2022, 126 (4) , 308-319. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.funbio.2022.01.003
    44. Marilyn Naeem, Andrew R. Chadeayne, James A. Golen, David R. Manke. Crystal structure of serotonin. Acta Crystallographica Section E Crystallographic Communications 2022, 78 (4) , 365-368. https://doi.org/10.1107/S2056989022002559
    45. Karuna Singh, Ankita Kumari. Mushroom Toxins and Health Hazards Associated with Them. 2022, 105-127. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-2370-8_5
    46. Ling-Xiao Shao, Clara Liao, Ian Gregg, Pasha A. Davoudian, Neil K. Savalia, Kristina Delagarza, Alex C. Kwan. Psilocybin induces rapid and persistent growth of dendritic spines in frontal cortex in vivo. Neuron 2021, 109 (16) , 2535-2544.e4. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2021.06.008
    47. Henry Lowe, Ngeh Toyang, Blair Steele, Henkel Valentine, Justin Grant, Amza Ali, Wilfred Ngwa, Lorenzo Gordon. The Therapeutic Potential of Psilocybin. Molecules 2021, 26 (10) , 2948. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26102948
    48. Claudius Lenz, Alexander Sherwood, Robert Kargbo, Dirk Hoffmeister. Taking Different Roads: l ‐Tryptophan as the Origin of Psilocybe Natural Products. ChemPlusChem 2021, 86 (1) , 28-35. https://doi.org/10.1002/cplu.202000581
    49. Adam L. Halberstadt. Automated detection of the head-twitch response using wavelet scalograms and a deep convolutional neural network. Scientific Reports 2020, 10 (1) https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-65264-x
    50. Andrew R. Chadeayne, Duyen N. K. Pham, James A. Golen, David R. Manke. DMT analogues: N -ethyl- N -propyltryptamine and N -allyl- N -methytryptamine as their hydrofumarate salts. Acta Crystallographica Section E Crystallographic Communications 2020, 76 (8) , 1201-1205. https://doi.org/10.1107/S2056989020008683
    51. Andrew R. Chadeayne, Duyen N. K. Pham, James A. Golen, David R. Manke. Quaternary tryptammonium salts: N , N -dimethyl- N - n -propyltryptammonium (DMPT) iodide and N -allyl- N , N -dimethyltryptammonium (DMALT) iodide. Acta Crystallographica Section E Crystallographic Communications 2020, 76 (8) , 1357-1360. https://doi.org/10.1107/S2056989020010014
    52. Andrew R. Chadeayne, Duyen N. K. Pham, James A. Golen, David R. Manke. Norpsilocin: freebase and fumarate salt. Acta Crystallographica Section E Crystallographic Communications 2020, 76 (4) , 589-593. https://doi.org/10.1107/S2056989020004077

    Journal of Natural Products

    Cite this: J. Nat. Prod. 2020, 83, 2, 461–467
    Click to copy citationCitation copied!
    https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jnatprod.9b01061
    Published February 20, 2020
    Copyright © 2020 American Chemical Society and American Society of Pharmacognosy

    Article Views

    5460

    Altmetric

    -

    Citations

    Learn about these metrics

    Article Views are the COUNTER-compliant sum of full text article downloads since November 2008 (both PDF and HTML) across all institutions and individuals. These metrics are regularly updated to reflect usage leading up to the last few days.

    Citations are the number of other articles citing this article, calculated by Crossref and updated daily. Find more information about Crossref citation counts.

    The Altmetric Attention Score is a quantitative measure of the attention that a research article has received online. Clicking on the donut icon will load a page at altmetric.com with additional details about the score and the social media presence for the given article. Find more information on the Altmetric Attention Score and how the score is calculated.