![]() ![]() ![]() To explain this effect, the psilocin molecule essentially mimics the serotonin molecule, binding to the 5-HT receptors and initiating the same response as the serotonin. After psilocybin has been ingested and dephosphorylated, to psilocin, the mechanism it uses in the brain has a direct agonist effect on the 5-HT serotonin receptors. The latter differs mainly by the location of one of the hydroxyls, and the addition of two methyl groups that make the molecule lipophilic (fat soluble), ergo capable of crossing the lipid membrane sheaths of the central nervous system. The chemical structure of serotonin, a neurotransmitter, is similar to that of psilocin. Psilocybin is chemically far more stable than psilocin, the latter compound being largely lost when the mushroom is heated or dried. The degree of bluing in a Psilocybe fruit body roughly correlates with the concentration of psilocin in the mushroom. This reaction is thought to be due to the oxidation of psilocybin after the outer surface of the fruit body has been breached. This blue-staining reaction occurs after the fruit body has been injured, particularly near the base of the stalk. The blue-staining species of Psilocybe are characterized by the presence of psilocin and psilocybin. Psilocin is the chemical primarily responsible for the hallucinogenic effects of the Psilocybe. After ingestion of the psilocybin compound alkaline phosphatases present in the body's digestive system, kidneys, and possibly in the blood readily cleave the phosphoryl ester bond from psilocybin, yielding the hydroxyl compound, psilocin. Hydroxylation of this compound produces the more potent hallucinogen psilocin, followed by phosphorylation yielding psilocybin. Two methylation steps occur producing DMT, another psychedelic compound. Tryptophan is converted to tryptamine by decarboxylation. This compound, as well as all other indole alkaloids, are derived from the amino acid tryptophan, being the only amino acid with the indole-amine ring. The psilocybin molecule is indirectly responsible for the hallucinogenic properties of the Psilocybe. bald) referring to the mushroom's detachable pellicle (loose skin over the cap), which can resemble a bald pate. The genus name Psilocybe is a compound of the Greek elements ψιλός ( psilós) "bare" / "naked" and κύβη ( kúbe) "head" / "swelling", giving the meaning "bare-headed" (i.e. Negative results have also been published for P. fimetaria. but does not contain psychotropic compounds. However, it has been demonstrated that P. fuscofulva, a species that used to be known as P. atrobrunnea, belongs to the genus Psilocybe s.s. Since P. semilanceata is now the type species of the genus, the bluing hallucinogenic clade remained in the genus Psilocybe ( Hymenogastraceae) while the non-bluing clade were transferred to the genus Deconica ( Strophariaceae). The suggestion was accepted by unanimous vote of the Nomenclature Committee for Fungi of the International Botanical Congress in 2010, meaning that P. semilanceata (a member of the bluing clade) now serves as the type species of the genus. proposed conserving the genus Psilocybe with Psilocybe semilanceata as its type species. confirmed that the agaric genus Melanotus is simply a subgroup of the non-bluing Psilocybe, all of which are placed in Deconica, and also pointed to a close relationship between the latter genus and the genera Kuehneromyces and Phaeogalera. The phylogenetic study by Moncalvo, et al. The bluing Psilocybe, however, form a clade that is sister to Galerina in the newly revised family, Hymenogastraceae that used to be restricted to secotioid, false-truffles. The phylogenetic study by Matheny et al., placed the non-bluing Psilocybe and its close relatives in a basal position within the Strophariaceae, a sister taxon to a clade containing the other genera within that family. Psilocybe had been placed taxonomically in the agaric family Strophariaceae based upon its spore and pileipellis morphology. A 2006 molecular phylogenetic study of the Agaricales by Matheny and colleagues, further demonstrated the separation of the bluing and non-bluing clades of Psilocybe in a larger, strongly supported phylogenetic tree of the Agaricales. The previous type species of the genus, Psilocybe montana (now Deconica montana), was in the non-bluing clade, but in 2010 the type species was changed to P. semilanceata, a member of the bluing clade. The blue-staining hallucinogenic species constituted one clade and the non-bluing species the other. A 2002 study of the molecular phylogeny of the agarics indicated that the genus Psilocybe as then defined was polyphyletic, falling into two distinct clades that are not directly related to each other. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |