The Journal of biological chemistry
October 1, 2023
Xue Chen, Jing Li, Lisa Yu et al.
13 citations
A novel indolethylamine N-methyltransferase (RmNMT) from the cane toad (Rhinella marina) was identified and characterized. This enzyme catalyzes the biosynthesis of psychedelic alkaloids such as DMT, 5-methoxy-DMT, and bufotenin, which accumulate in toad skin and parotid glands and have been used ceremonially by Mesoamerican peoples. RmNMT is an effective catalyst not subject to product inhibition and exhibits substrate promiscuity, enabling production of various substituted indolethylamines for purification, pharmacological screening, and metabolic stability assays. Binding evaluations at serotonin receptors showed that primary amines have enhanced affinity at the 5-HT1A receptor compared with tertiary amines. Except for 6-substituted derivatives, N,N-dimethylation protected against catabolism by liver microsomes.
Analytical Chemistry
February 11, 2025
Yun Wu, Mei Li, Ruidong Liu et al.
6 citations
A new portable mass spectrometry device, PDRA-LTP-ITMS, can detect illicit drugs in saliva or urine within 5 seconds using only 10 microliters of sample. The method improves sensitivity up to 10-fold compared to some other techniques and achieves detection limits for MDMA, MDA, methamphetamine, amphetamine, ketamine, and cocaine ranging from 4.5 to 20 picograms per microliter in saliva, meeting Chinese national standards. The device's performance approaches that of a high-end laboratory mass spectrometer, offering a rapid on-site tool for identifying drug-impaired drivers.
Biodesign research
June 1, 2025
Natali Ozber, Jing Li, Peter J. Facchini
2 citations
A new method combining yeast fermentation and enzymes produces the recreational drug MDMA (Ecstasy) and related compounds, offering an alternative to chemical synthesis. The process starts with a yeast-based system that converts ring-substituted benzaldehyde precursors into phenylacetylcarbinol derivatives using variants of pyruvate decarboxylase. Among seven wildtype enzymes tested, Candida tropicalis PDC gave the highest yield from piperonal, and a mutant further improved production. Five of sixteen tested benzaldehyde analogs yielded corresponding derivatives with 20–70% efficiency, allowing purification of milligram quantities. A stereoselective transaminase then converted all five derivatives, followed by N-methylation and chemical reduction to produce MDMA and its analog 6-chloro-MDMA. This is the first reported bioproduction method for MDMA and other methamphetamine derivatives.
Clinical Toxicology
September 15, 2025
Zhifan He, Rui Tang, Min Feng et al.
1 citation
Four patients in Chengdu, China, were poisoned after eating 16–90 g of wild mushrooms misidentified as edible but later confirmed as Psilocybe keralensis. Symptoms began within 5–20 minutes, with hallucinations starting between 10 and 180 minutes. All developed hypertension, one with a rapid rise to 182/110 mmHg and evidence of myocardial injury (peak cardiac troponin T 188.70 pg/mL) and transient skeletal muscle involvement. Supportive treatment led to full recovery. The authors note that altered myocardial biomarkers signal potential cardiovascular risks and recommend cardiac monitoring for high-risk patients in future psilocybin research, and that wild mushroom foraging should be avoided.
World Journal of Psychiatry
July 8, 2026
Yu-Peng Liu, Chen-Chen Shen, Jing Li et al.
In patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis, an 8-week mindfulness-based cognitive therapy program was associated with greater improvements in anxiety, sleep quality, depressive symptoms, and quality of life compared with routine psychological support. At both treatment end and 3-month follow-up, the mindfulness group showed significantly reduced anxiety symptoms, lower new-onset anxiety, and better sleep quality, including improved sleep onset latency, total sleep time, fewer sleep disorders, and less daytime dysfunction. Depressive symptoms and both mental and physical quality of life also improved more with mindfulness-based cognitive therapy than with routine support.
Research Square
March 10, 2023
Xue Chen, Jing Li, Lisa Yu et al.
An enzyme from cane toad (Rhinella marina), named RmNMT, efficiently produces N,N-dimethylated indolethylamines, including psychedelic compounds like N,N-dimethyltryptamine. Unlike similar enzymes in mammals and fungi, RmNMT is highly efficient and promiscuous, enabling the bioproduction of new-to-nature indolethylamine derivatives. N,N-Dimethylated indolethylamines showed reduced binding and activation at 5-HT1A and 5-HT2A receptors compared to primary amines, yet only these tertiary amines induced hallucinogenic behavior in mice, suggesting metabolic stability is key. This discovery establishes a platform for producing and screening novel indolethylamines for potential psychiatric medicines.
Journal of Pain and Symptom Management
February 13, 2020
K. Milbury, S. Weathers, Sania Durrani et al.
A couple-based meditation program delivered via FaceTime to brain tumor patients and their partners is feasible and acceptable. Patients who completed the program reported fewer cognitive and general disease symptoms, better relationship well-being, and greater compassion compared with those receiving usual care, with medium to large effects. No significant benefits were observed for partners. The findings suggest that remote dyadic interventions may help patients manage symptom burden, though further research is needed.
International Journal of Neural Systems
January 23, 2020
Wen Shi, Yamin Li, Zhian Liu et al.
During propofol-induced sedation, a distinct EEG microstate pattern—a posterior central maximum labeled microstate F—emerges and becomes prominent. Its coverage, occurrence, and power significantly increase in moderate sedation, and the transition from rest to sedation is accompanied by a significant rise in mean energy across all frequency bands in this microstate. The findings suggest that microstate F is closely linked to propofol-altered consciousness and may derive from the canonical anterior-posterior microstate C. The work also advances methods for analyzing microstates in the frequency domain using multivariate empirical mode decomposition and Hilbert-Huang transform.