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Preparation of Monoclonal Antibodies Reactive to a Hallucinogenic Drug, Psilocin

Mitsune Yamaguchi, Toshiaki Saito, Yoshie Horiguchi, Keita Ogawa, Yukihiro Tsuchiya, Kayoko Hishinuma, Toshiyuki Chikuma, Yukiko Makino, Hiroshi Hojo

JOURNAL OF HEALTH SCIENCE 2004 DOI: 10.1248/jhs.50.600 (opens in new tab)

Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Laboratory experiment Peer reviewed
Population BALB/c mice
Topics Psilocybin
Keywords Monoclonal antibody Hallucinogen Keyhole limpet hemocyanin Immunoassay Molecular biology Biochemistry
Citations 5
Key findings Monoclonal antibody BA631 reacts with psilocin and dimethyltryptamine but not with psilocybin or other indole derivatives, enabling potential identification of magic mushrooms.

Abstract

The cultivation or trafficking of “Magic mushrooms,” containing hallucinogenic psilocin and psilocybin, has been prohibited by the Narcotics and Psychotropics Control Law in Japan since 2002. To identify these mushrooms, we attempted to prepare the monoclonal antibody (mAb) reactive to these hallucinogens. As an antigen inducing an anti-psilocin mAb, N-{4-[3-(2-dimethylaminoethyl)indol-4-yl-oxy]butyl}succinamic acid was synthesized by modifying the 4-hydroxyl moiety of psilocin and coupled to a carrier protein of keyhole limpet hemocyanin. BALB/c mice were immunized five times with the antigen emulsified with an adjuvant, and their spleen cells were fused with mouse myeloma cells. We obtained several hybridoma cells producing mAbs reactive to psilocin, from which four clones, BA631, CA231, KA422, and MA332 with a higher production of anti-psilocin mAb were selected by limiting dilution. Isotype of CA231 and KA422 mAbs were IgG2a and that of BA631 and MA332 mAbs were IgG1. Enzyme immunoassay (EIA) using BA631 mAb, revealed that BA631 cross-reacted with psilocin and dimethyltryptamine, but not with the other indole derivatives such as psilocybin, 4-hydroxyindole, tryptamine, and tryptophan. Therefore, these antibodies could be used for the identification of magic mushrooms.

Comparable studies

Other preclinical and animal studies on psilocybin, most cited first.

Citations in the library

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