Psilocin and dried extracts from Psilocybe semilanceata and Pholiotina cyanopus mushrooms collected in northeastern Poland were tested in mice for toxicity and effects on the serotonergic system. Pure psilocin was most toxic, with an LD50 of 293.07 mg/kg, while extracts from Ph. cyanopus and P. semilanceata had LD50 values of 316.87 mg/kg and 324.37 mg/kg, respectively. In behavioral head-twitch response tests, a 1 mg/kg dose of psilocin reduced head-twitches by about 46% compared to a 5-HTP control, and mushroom extracts reduced them by about 30%. Psilocin acted as a partial agonist on the serotonergic system.
The fungus Pholiotina cyanopus was collected from wood chips and woody debris at a closed sawmill in Żywiec, Poland. Chemical analysis using liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry detected psilocybin and its analogues psilocin, baeocystin, norbaeocystin, and aeruginascin in air-dried specimens. Psilocybin content was high at 0.90±0.08% of dry weight, with lower concentrations of psilocin (0.17±0.01%) and baeocystin (0.16±0.01%). Small amounts of norbaeocystin (0.053±0.004%) and aeruginascin (0.011±0.0007%) were reported for the first time in this species. The paper also provides a description and illustrations of the Polish specimens and discusses their ecology, distribution, and comparison with similar taxa.