A cane toad (Rhinella marina) N-methyltransferase converts primary indolethylamines to tertiary psychedelic amines.
Journal of Biological Chemistry October 1, 2023 Xue Chen, Jing Li, Lisa Yu et al. 13 citations
Psychedelic indolethylamines have emerged as potential medicines to treat several psychiatric pathologies. Natural sources of these compounds include 'magic mushrooms' (Psilocybe spp.), plants used to prepare ayahuasca, and toads. The skin and parotid glands of certain toads accumulate a variety of specialized metabolites including toxic guanidine alkaloids, lipophilic alkaloids, poisonous...
DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2023.105231 (opens in new tab)
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N-methyltransferase
Rhinella marina
Drug discovery
Enzyme kinetics
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