14C-Psilocin tissue distribution in pregnant rats after intravenous administration
F. C. P. Law, Grace K. Poon, Y. C. Chui, Shao-Xiong He
Functional Foods in Health and Disease July 27, 2014 DOI: 10.31989/ffhd.v4i6.9 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 21 |
| Population | Pregnant and male Wistar rats |
| Intervention | 14C-psilocin |
| Dose | 7.5 mg/kg i.v. (pregnant rats); 15 mg/kg i.p. (male rats for urine study) |
| Duration | 0.5 to 8.0 hours post-dosing for tissue study; urine collection period not specified |
| Topics | Psilocybin |
| Keywords | Urine Metabolite Pharmacology Chromatography Hallucinogen |
| Citations | 11 |
| Key findings | Psilocin readily crossed the placental and blood-brain barriers in pregnant rats and was eliminated slowly from fetal tissues, suggesting a risk of accumulation in the fetus. |
Abstract
Background: Many species of hallucinogenic mushrooms have been found in the genus Psilocybe. The main psychoactive chemicals of Psilocybe mushrooms are psilocin and its phosphoryloxy derivative, psilocybin. In addition to its psychedelic effects, psilocybin is an effective agent to lift the mood of depressed patients with terminal cancers.Objective: To study the dispositional kinetics of 14C-psilocin in pregnant rats after intravenous injection, to calculate tissue dose surrogates i.e., tissue 14C concentration and area under the concentration-time curve using the experimental data, to quantify trans-placental passage of psilocin and/or its metabolites, and to identify new psilocin metabolite(s) in rat urine.Methods: A group of 15 pregnant Wistar rats weighing between 0.30-0.36 kg was used in the study. Each rat was given a single dose of 7.5 mg/kg 14C-psilocini.v. Three rats were randomly selected and sacrificed at 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, 4.0, and 8.0 hr post-dosing. The maternal and fetal tissues were quickly removed and the radioactivity in these tissues determined by liquid scintillation counting.In a separate study, urine samples were collected from 6 male Wistar rats after administering 15 mg/kg of unlabeled psilocin i.p. The urine samples were collected and extracted by chloroform-methanol (9:1 v/v) and analyzed using a gas chromatograph/mass spectrometer.Results: 14C-Psilocin crossed the placental barrier of pregnant rats readily after i.v. administration; maternal tissue 14C concentrations were found to be much higher than those in fetal tissues. The areas under the curve for maternal tissues also were much higher than the fetal tissues. In general, maternal tissues could be divided into the fast eliminating organ group, which included the brain (elimination half-life <13 hr) and the slow eliminating organ group, which included all fetal tissues (elimination half-life >13 hr). A new psilocin metabolite tentatively identified as dihydroxyindoleacetic acid was found in the urine.Conclusion: Our study showed that psilocin readily crossed the placental and blood-brain barriers of pregnant rats. Because psilocin was eliminated slowly from the fetal tissues of rats, human consumption of magic mushrooms should be avoided during pregnancy. Key words: magic mushrooms, psilocin, placental barrier, pregnant rats
Comparable studies
Other preclinical and animal studies on psilocybin, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Psilocybin induces rapid and persistent growth of dendritic spines in frontal cortex in vivo Mice | 2021 | Observational cohort | |
| Harnessing psilocybin: antidepressant-like behavioral and synaptic actions of psilocybin are independent of 5-HT2R activation in mice Mice | 2021 | Experimental study | |
| Psychedelics reopen the social reward learning critical period Mice | 2023 | Experimental study in mice | |
| Correlation between the potency of hallucinogens in the mouse head-twitch response assay and their behavioral and subjective effects in other species. C57BL/6J mice | 2020 | Experimental study with dose-response experiments | |
| Effects of psilocybin on hippocampal neurogenesis and extinction of trace fear conditioning Mice | 2013 | Experimental study |
Citations in the library
Cited by 8
- Psilocybin for Treating Psychiatric Disorders: A Psychonaut Legend or a Promising Therapeutic Perspective? Journal of Xenobiotics February 7, 2022
- Pharmacokinetics of Psilocybin, a Tryptamine Alkaloid in Magic Mushroom ( Psilocybe cubensis ): A Systematic Review Journal of Psychoactive Drugs September 10, 2024
- Development of a physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model of psilocybin and psilocin from magic mushroom in rats and humans F1000Research March 15, 2021
- Caffeine, nicotine, cannabis, and psilocybin: Pharmacology, toxicology, and potential therapeutic uses of four naturally occurring psychoactive substances Swiss Medical Weekly July 1, 2025
- Exploring Psychedelics for Unmet Needs in Women's Reproductive Health. Psychedelic Medicine June 1, 2025
and 3 more in the library
Cites 7
- Pilot Study of Psilocybin Treatment for Anxiety in Patients With Advanced-Stage Cancer Archives of General Psychiatry September 7, 2010
- Implications for psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy: functional magnetic resonance imaging study with psilocybin The British Journal of Psychiatry January 27, 2012
- Dephosphorylation of Psilocybin to Psilocin by Alkaline Phosphatase Experimental Biology and Medicine 1961
- Ethnomycology, biochemistry, and cultivation of Psilocybe samuiensis Guzmán, Bandala and Allen, a new psychoactive fungus from Koh Samui, Thailand. Journal of Ethnopharmacology July 8, 1994
- Comparison of solution conformational preferences for the hallucinogens bufotenin and psilocin using 360-MHz proton NMR spectroscopy. Journal of Medicinal Chemistry February 1, 1981
and 2 more in the library