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.

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.

Hyaluronic acid (HA) has been an important component in several fields, such as dermal filling, tissue engineering, treatment of the vascular and cartilaginous region, and its application is limited because its excessive use can promote a reduction in cell adhesion, due to its presence of negative charges, characteristic of this material. To solve this limitation, a cationic and anionic material can be used, such as O-Carboxymethylchitosan (O-CMQ), which has a similar chemical structure and similar properties to HA. Therefore, this work aimed to determine the conditions for the synthesis and characterization of O-Carboxymethylchitosan (O-CMQ), and to evaluate its application as an alternative to hyaluronic acid. From the chitosan produced and characterized, the synthesis of O-CMQ was carried out in the proportions 1:1, 1:2 and 1.5:2 (m/v), followed by the characterizations through Visual Analysis, Optical Microscopy (OM), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Hydrogen Potential (pH) and Conductivity, Thermogravimetry Analysis (TGA) and Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC). It was concluded that the synthesis methodology was efficient for the production of O-Carboxymethylchitosan with different properties. The comparison with hyaluronic acid confirmed the chemical, physical and biological similarities between the samples, being promising for application as a substitute for this material.

N,N-Dimethyltryptamine (DMT), a plant-derived tryptamine alkaloid, has attracted growing interest due to its therapeutic potential in treating mental health disorders resistant to conventional pharmacological interventions. This study aimed to establish an efficient methodology for the extraction, isolation, and characterization of DMT, and to identify the most viable portion of the Mimosa tenuiflora plant (root bark vs stem bark) through a multianalytical approach to assess the biomedical applicability of the isolated compound. Samples were subjected to various characterization techniques and methodological analyses. Among the tested samples, sample 2Cobtained using methodology 2, which employed the stem barkyielded 3.45% (calculated from 5.0003 g of powdered stem bark, corresponding to approximately 0.172 g of pure DMT) and exhibited a robust phytochemical profile, with a significant presence of alkaloids, tannins, and flavonoids. Morphological characterization by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed a heterogeneous, amorphous surface, whereas recrystallization produced well-defined prismatic crystals. Elemental composition, evaluated by energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and X-ray fluorescence (XRF), revealed a high proportion of carbon (76.03%) and nitrogen (23.97%), along with trace elements typical of plant matrices, such as calcium and iron. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) showed characteristic absorption bands of indole functional groups, confirming the presence of DMT. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) demonstrated thermal stability up to approximately 135 °Ca critical parameter for pharmaceutical processing. DMT identification was confirmed by high-performance liquid chromatography with diode-array detection (HPLC-DAD), showing a retention time of 11.81 min and absorbance peaks at 275, 280, and 288 nm, consistent with this alkaloid. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) further validated the identity, yielding a retention time of 16.4 min and 88% spectral similarity with the NIST library, including characteristic fragments at m/z 58, 130, and 188. The cellular viability of the isolated DMT exceeded 85% at therapeutic concentrations, with a significant reduction observed only at 100 μg/mL (53 ± 21%), possibly due to experimental overexposure. These findings identify sample 2C as a promising candidate for the development of standardized pharmaceutical formulations containing DMT and provide robust analytical support for future standardization, scale-up, and clinical application within the framework of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy.