Traditional ayahuasca can be defined as a brew made from Amazonian vine Banisteriopsis caapi and Amazonian admixture plants. Ayahuasca is used by indigenous groups in Amazonia, as a sacrament in syncretic Brazilian religions, and in healing and spiritual ceremonies internationally. The study aimed to determine concentrations of the main bio- and psychoactive components of ayahuasca used in different locations and traditions. We collected 102 samples of brews from ayahuasca-using communities. Concentrations of N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT), tetrahydroharmine, harmine, and harmaline were determined by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS). Qualitative analyses for non-traditional additives (moclobemide, psilocin, yuremamine) were performed by high resolution mass spectrometry. Higher and more variable concentrations of DMT in neoshamanic ayahuasca samples compared to indigenous samples may indicate use of higher and more variable proportions of DMT-containing admixture plants. From European samples, we found two related samples of analog ayahuasca containing moclobemide, psilocin, DMT, yuremamine, and very low concentrations of B. caapi alkaloids. Some analogs of ayahuasca (Peganum harmala, Mimosa tenuiflora) were used in Europe. No analogs were found from Brazil or Santo Daime ceremonies in Europe. We recommend awareness about the constituents of the brew and ethical self-regulation among practitioners of ayahuasca ceremonies.

Background The extracellular matrix modulates the hallmarks of cancer. Here we examined the role of agrin—a member of this matrix—in progression of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Methods We evaluated the immunohistochemical expression of agrin in OSCC and dysplasias. Benign lesions were used as control. In subsequent experiments, we investigated whether the silencing of agrin interferes with tumour expansion both in vitro as well as in vivo. To gain insights into the role of agrin, we identified its protein network (interactome) using mass spectrometry-based proteomics and bioinformatics. Finally, we evaluated the clinical relevance of agrin interactome. Results Agrin was elevated in malignant and premalignant lesions. Further, we show that agrin silencing interferes with cancer cell motility, proliferation, invasion, colony and tumour spheroid formation, and it also reduces the phosphorylation of FAK, ERK and cyclin D1 proteins in OSCC cells. In orthotopic model, agrin silencing reduces tumour aggressiveness, like vascular and neural invasion. From a clinical perspective, agrin contextual hubs predict a poor clinical prognosis related with overall survival. Conclusions Altogether, our results demonstrate that agrin is a histological marker for the progression of oral cancer and is a strong therapeutic target candidate for both premalignant and OSCC lesions.

In this study, we obtained a lipidomic profile of plasma samples from drug-naïve patients with schizophrenia (SZ) and bipolar disorder (BD) in comparison to healthy controls. The sample cohort consisted of 30 BD and 30 SZ patients and 30 control individuals. An untargeted lipidomics strategy using liquid chromatography coupled with high-resolution mass spectrometry was employed to obtain the lipid profiles. Data were preprocessed, then univariate (t-test) and multivariate (principal component analysis and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis) statistical tools were applied to select differential lipids, which were putatively identified. Afterward, multivariate receiver operating characteristic tests were performed, and metabolic pathway networks were constructed, considering the differential lipids. Our results demonstrate alterations in distinct lipid pathways, especially in glycerophospholipids, sphingolipids and glycerolipids, between SZ and BD patients. The results obtained in this study may serve as a basis for differential diagnosis, which is crucial for effective treatment and improving the quality of life of patients with psychotic disorders.