Psychedelic Mushrooms Evolved Ability to Produce Key Compound Twice, Study Finds
Jena, Germany – Researchers have discovered that psychedelic mushrooms independently evolved the ability to produce psilocybin, the psychoactive compound responsible for their effects, through two distinct biochemical pathways. the finding, published in Angewandte Chemie International Edition, sheds light on the evolutionary history of these fungi and could inform sustainable production methods for potential medical applications.
Psilocybin is converted to psilocin in the body upon ingestion. While popular in the 1960s, psilocybin was classified as a schedule 1 drug in the US in 1970 and a Class A drug in the UK in 1971, halting research into its potential benefits for decades.
However, recent clinical trials have demonstrated psilocybin’s efficacy in reducing the severity of depression, suicidal thoughts, and chronic anxiety, sparking renewed scientific interest.
The study, led by Dirk Hoffmeister of Friedrich Schiller University Jena, revealed that different enzymes in unrelated mushroom species catalyze psilocybin production. Researchers found that Inocybe corydalina,which grows in association with tree roots,and Psilocybe mushrooms,which decompose organic matter,each developed unique enzymatic routes to create the same compound.
This phenomenon, known as convergent evolution, occurs when unrelated organisms independently evolve similar traits. A well-known example is caffeine production in coffee, tea, cacao, and guaraná plants. This marks the first documented instance of convergent evolution within the fungal kingdom.
“Enzymes from two types of unrelated mushrooms under study appear to have evolved independently from each other and take different routes to create the exact same compound,” Hoffmeister’s research details. The finding also identified a novel method for synthesizing psilocybin in a laboratory setting.
