The growing body of evidence supporting the therapeutic efficacy of psychoactive substances, like psilocybin, has driven significant interest in recent decades due to their low toxicity and potential applications in treating various mental health disorders. However, producing pharmaceutical-grade psilocybin remains challenging, with three primary approaches: chemical synthesis, biosynthesis, and extraction from Psilocybe mushroom fruiting bodies. This systematic review evaluates the extraction and quantification methods for psilocybin and psilocin, aiming to contribute to the development of standardized protocols that ensure compound quality and purity. A total of 25 relevant studies were selected from an initial pool of 9152 publications indexed in platforms such as Scopus, ScienceDirect, Web of Science, and PubMed. The findings indicate that both the extraction method and the choice of mushroom species significantly influence compound yields. Ultrasonic bath extraction was identified as the most efficient technique, particularly for species including Psilocybe cyanescens and Psilocybe cubensis. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was the most-used method for identifying and quantifying these compounds. Furthermore, polar solvents were critical for effective solubilization, with parameters such as temperature, solvent-to-material ratio, and extraction time playing key roles in optimizing yields. This review serves as a key scientific reference for advancing research, enhancing analytical precision, and ensuring reproducibility through the standardization of extraction and quantification protocols.

Mental disorders of the global population have been evaluated statistically by decades. Psilocybin has medicinal properties with potential pharmaceutical applications for treatment of psychological disorders. This component is present naturally in mushrooms of the Psilocybe genus and is primarily responsible for their psychoactive properties. It exhibits a low risk of acute toxicity and has shown no evidence of neurotoxicity, carcinogenicity, or mutagenicity in current toxicological assessments. This study aimed to develop an active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) derived from Psilocybe mushrooms for application in the management of mental health disorders. The primary objectives include extraction of bioactive compounds, quantitative analysis, and evaluation of their physicochemical and biological properties. Following the extraction procedures, the experiments achieved yields of approximately 20%, demonstrating effective isolation of the target compounds. The presence of alkaloids was confirmed through phytochemical screening and validated by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis. The obtained API exhibited thermal and spectroscopic characteristics consistent with those of edible mushroom extracts, enabling a comprehensive understanding of its physicochemical behavior. Additionally, analytical assays demonstrated high solubility, low toxicity, and compliance with acceptable limits for heavy metal content and microbial load, including aerobic microorganisms, fungi, and yeasts. Quantitative HPLC analysis revealed psilocybin and psilocin contents of 3.26 and 0.34%, respectively, supporting the formulation of drug delivery systems with standardized concentrations of psilocybin. The results indicated that the extracted API is stable, highly pure, and compatible with polymeric matrices for controlled release applications. Furthermore, the assays confirmed high solubility in polar solvents and minimal risk of adverse effects. In conclusion, the study showed that the development of a psilocybin- and psilocin-based API is feasible and represents a significant advancement in the treatment of mental disorders, standing out as a promising solution in the pursuit of innovative therapeutic alternatives.

The Psilocybe genus is known for producing tryptamine alkaloids, specifically the compounds psilocybin and psilocin, which have shown antidepressant and anxiolytic potential. The presence of these alkaloids makes Psilocybe mushrooms promising sources of molecules with potential applications in the treatment of mental disorders. To explore this, a bibliographic study was conducted with the aim of synthesizing published data regarding the biological properties and chemical composition of Psilocybe mushrooms. Searches were performed on indexing platforms, and the articles found were processed using StArt software. These articles were then classified by score and selected based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. This survey yielded a total of 74 articles, and among them, 66 works showed the presence of psilocybin and/or psilocin alkaloids, indicating the psychoactivity of the mushrooms, and 4 works demonstrated the antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of the extract from certain species of the genus. Additionally, 37 chemical compounds were identified across the genus, 23 of which are alkaloids. Data regarding the temporal and chemical stability of these compounds were also observed, which could help optimize the handling of materials that contain indole alkaloids. Therefore, it is evident that species of this genus remain underexplored in terms of chemical diversity; only compounds classified as alkaloids, terpenoids and phenolic compounds were found, and, in total, only 36 compounds in a study range time of 67 years. Furthermore, most studies focused primarily on evaluating the tryptamine alkaloids responsible for the psychoactivity of the mushrooms, without any study focusing on demonstrating the biological activity of isolated compounds against any pathological factor, except for studies relating the whole extract to larvicidal, antimicrobial and antioxidant potential. So, this review provides a general overview of the molecules isolated from the genus and their biological activities and also suggests that researchers working with these mushroom species could focus their efforts on isolating new compounds and evaluating other types of biological activities that can improve the knowledge of mushrooms’ alternative applications.

Early abortion is one of the most common complications during pregnancy. However, the frequent handling of the genital region, more precisely the vagina, which causes discomfort to patients in this abortion process due to the frequency of drug insertion, as four pills are inserted every six hours, has led to the search for alternatives to alleviate the suffering caused by this practice in patients who are already in a shaken emotional state. Hence, this work aimed to develop composites of gelatin and misoprostol, using a conventional single-dose drug delivery system. These composites were prepared by freeze/lyophilization technique, by dissolving the gelatin in distilled water, with a concentration of 2.5% (w/v), and misoprostol was incorporated into the gelatin solution at the therapeutic concentration (800 mcg). They were subsequently molded, frozen and lyophilized. The samples of the composites were then crosslinked with sodium tripolyphosphate (TPP) 1% (v/v) with respect to the gelatin mass for 5 min. The characterization techniques used were: Optical Microscopy (OM), Fourier Transformed Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Thermogravimetry (TG), Swelling, Biodegradation and Cytotoxicity. In OM it was observed that the addition of the drug improved the cylindrical appearance of the compounds, in comparison with the sample that was composed of only gelatin. There was a reduction in the degree of swelling with the addition of the drug and crosslinking. The cytotoxicity test indicated the biocompatibility of the material. Based on the results obtained in these tests, the composites have therapeutic potential for uterine emptying in pregnancy failures, especially in the first trimester.

Innovative therapies, such as psilocybin-assisted psychotherapies, hold great promises for treating anxiety, depression, and various other mental health disorders, addressing some of the challenges faced by conventional psychiatric medicine. This study focuses on developing and validating an HPLC-DAD methodology for detecting psilocybin and psilocin in extracts from psychedelic mushrooms intended for medicinal use. The methodology to has been validated following the guidelines of RDC No. 166/2017 from the Brazilian National Health Surveillance Agency (ANVISA). Utilizing a PerkinElmer C18 column (150.0 mm length × 4.6 mm internal diameter × 5 μm particle size), the gradient method employed ultrapure Milli-Q water (mobile phase A) and acetonitrile (mobile phase B), both acidified to 0.3% with formic acid (starting at a ratio of 95:5 v/v), with a flow rate of 0.8 mL/min over 18 min and an injection volume of 15 μL. The column temperature was maintained at 30 °C, and the analysis was conducted at a wavelength of 266 nm. The limit of detection (LOD) and limit od quantification (LOQ) values for psilocybin were 1.58 and 4.78 mg/L, respectively, while for psilocin, they were 1.70 and 5.17 mg/L. The method’s accuracy showed recovery intervals for psilocybin ranging from 80 to 120% and for psilocin from 98 to 116%. Accurately determining the content of psilocybin (2.57%) and psilocin (0.16%) is essential for their application as pharmaceutical compounds. This methodological rigor ensures that these substances can be reliably used in therapeutic contexts, underscoring the importance of precise quantification in developing safe and effective medical treatments.