Psilocin (3-[2-(dimethylamino)ethyl]-1H-indol-4-ol) is a hallucinogenic component of the Mexican mushroom Psilocybe mexicana and a skeletal serotonin (5-HT) analogue. Psilocin is the active metabolite of psilocybin (3-[2-(dimethylamino)ethyl]-1H-indol-4-yl dihydrogen phosphate).In the present study, we examined the effects of systemically administered psilocin on extracellular dopamine and 5-HT concentrations in the ventral tegmental area (VTA), nucleus accumbens, and medial prefrontal cortex of the dopaminergic pathway in awake rats using in vivo microdialysis. Intraperitoneal administration of psilocin (5, 10 mg/kg) significantly increased extracellular dopamine levels in the nucleus accumbens. Psilocin did not affect the extracellular 5-HT level in the nucleus accumbens. Conversely, systemic administration of psilocin (10 mg/kg) significantly increased extracellular 5-HT levels in the medial prefrontal cortex of rats, but dopamine was decreased in this region. However, neither extracellular dopamine nor 5-HT levels in the VTA were altered by administration of psilocin. Behaviorally, psilocin significantly increased the number of head twitches. Thus, psilocin affects the dopaminergic system in the nucleus accumbens. In the serotonergic system, psilocin contribute to a crucial effect in the medial prefrontal cortex. The present data suggest that psilocin increased both the extracellular dopamine and 5-HT concentrations in the mesoaccumbens and/or mesocortical pathway.Key words psilocin; dopamine; serotonin; nucleus accumbens; ventral tegmental area; medial prefrontal cortex Native peoples in Mexico have used Psilocybe mushrooms throughout history in religious ceremonies and for healing. Naturally occurring hallucinogenic substances such as psilocybin and mescaline have been recognized for their ability to alter perception, cognition, and emotion.1,2) Both psilocin and psilocybin are hallucinogenic components of the Mexican mushroom Psilocybe mexicana and are serotonin (5-HT) analogues. Psilocin is the active metabolite of psilocybin and is considered a pharmacologically active species.3,4) A number of previous studies have examined the hallucinogenic effects of psilocybin in human volunteers. [5][6][7][8] Psilocybin produces changes in mood, disturbances in thinking, illusions, and complex visual hallucinations in healthy human volunteers. 9)Moreover, preliminary clinical trials have determined that psilocybin is effective at reducing the symptoms of obsessivecompulsive disorder 10) and is an effective anxiolytic agent in terminal cancer patients with anxiety. 11)Recent pharmacological studies suggest that the hallucinogenic effects of psilocin and psilocybin are produced mainly because these compounds act as 5-HT receptor agonists that bind 5-HT 1A , 5-HT 2A , 5-HT 2B , and 5-HT 2C receptors with moderate to high affinity.12,13) The effects of psilocybin are blocked by pretreatment with the 5-HT 2A antagonist ketanserin, indicating that the hallucinogenic effects of psilocybin are mediated primarily by 5-HT 2A...

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The degradation pathways for cyclic alkanes (c-alkanes) in Rhodococcus sp. NDKK48 were investigated. Strain NDKK48 used dodecylcyclohexane as a sole carbon and energy source, and five metabolites in the dodecylcyclohexane degradation pathway were detected by gas-chromatography/mass spectra. The metabolites were identified as cyclohexanecarboxylic acid, cyclohexylacetic acid, 1-cyclohexene-1-acetic acid, 4-dodecylcyclohexanol, and 4-dodecylcyclohexanone. The strain degrades dodecylcyclohexane via a ring oxidation pathway and an alkyl side chain oxidation pathway. Cyclohexanecarboxylic acid was further oxidized to muconic acid via 1-cyclohexene-1-carboxylic acid and benzoic acid, and the muconic acid was finally used by strain NDKK48 for growth. Methylcyclohexane and cyclohexane were co-oxidized with hexadecane by strain NDKK48. Methylcyclohexane was degraded via a ring oxidation pathway, and the degradation pathway contained part of the Baeyer-Villiger oxidation for ring cleavage. Cyclohexane was also degraded by the same pathway as methylcyclohexane. Thus, strain NDKK48 has two pathways for the complete degradation of c-alkanes.