Chemical Composition and Biological Activities of Psilocybe Mushrooms: Gaps and Perspectives

A review of 74 articles on Psilocybe mushrooms found that 66 reported psilocybin or psilocin, confirming psychoactivity, while 4 demonstrated antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of whole extracts. Across the genus, 37 chemical compounds were identified, 23 of which are alkaloids. Only alkaloids, terpenoids, and phenolic compounds were found, totaling just 36 compounds over 67 years of study. Most research focused on tryptamine alkaloids responsible for psychoactivity, with no studies examining isolated compounds against specific pathological factors except for whole-extract larvicidal, antimicrobial, and antioxidant potential. The authors suggest that future work should isolate new compounds and evaluate alternative biological activities.

Study at a glance

Abstract

The Psilocybe genus is known for producing tryptamine alkaloids, specifically the compounds psilocybin and psilocin, which have shown antidepressant and anxiolytic potential. The presence of these alkaloids makes Psilocybe mushrooms promising sources of molecules with potential applications in the treatment of mental disorders. To explore this, a bibliographic study was conducted with the aim of synthesizing published data regarding the biological properties and chemical composition of Psilocybe mushrooms. Searches were performed on indexing platforms, and the articles found were processed using StArt software. These articles were then classified by score and selected based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. This survey yielded a total of 74 articles, and among them, 66 works showed the presence of psilocybin and/or psilocin alkaloids, indicating the psychoactivity of the mushrooms, and 4 works demonstrated the antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of the extract from certain species of the genus. Additionally, 37 chemical compounds were identified across the genus, 23 of which are alkaloids. Data regarding the temporal and chemical stability of these compounds were also observed, which could help optimize the handling of materials that contain indole alkaloids. Therefore, it is evident that species of this genus remain underexplored in terms of chemical diversity; only compounds classified as alkaloids, terpenoids and phenolic compounds were found, and, in total, only 36 compounds in a study range time of 67 years. Furthermore, most studies focused primarily on evaluating the tryptamine alkaloids responsible for the psychoactivity of the mushrooms, without any study focusing on demonstrating the biological activity of isolated compounds against any pathological factor, except for studies relating the whole extract to larvicidal, antimicrobial and antioxidant potential. So, this review provides a general overview of the molecules isolated from the genus and their biological activities and also suggests that researchers working with these mushroom species could focus their efforts on isolating new compounds and evaluating other types of biological activities that can improve the knowledge of mushrooms’ alternative applications.