Psilocin, also known as 4-hydroxy-''N'',''N''-dimethyltryptamine (4-HO-DMT), is a
substituted tryptamine
Substituted tryptamines, or simply tryptamines, also known as serotonin analogues (i.e., 5-hydroxytryptamine analogues), are organic compounds which may be thought of as being derived from tryptamine itself. The molecular structures of all trypt ...
alkaloid
Alkaloids are a broad class of natural product, naturally occurring organic compounds that contain at least one nitrogen atom. Some synthetic compounds of similar structure may also be termed alkaloids.
Alkaloids are produced by a large varie ...
and a
serotonergic psychedelic
Psychedelics are a subclass of hallucinogenic drugs whose primary effect is to trigger non-ordinary mental states (known as psychedelic experiences or "trips") and a perceived "expansion of consciousness". Also referred to as classic halluci ...
. It is present in most
psychedelic mushroom
A mushroom or toadstool is the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground on soil or another food source. ''Toadstool'' generally refers to a poisonous mushroom.
The standard for the name "mushroom" is t ...
s together with its
phosphorylated
In biochemistry, phosphorylation is described as the "transfer of a phosphate group" from a donor to an acceptor. A common phosphorylating agent (phosphate donor) is ATP and a common family of acceptor are alcohols:
:
This equation can be writt ...
counterpart
psilocybin
Psilocybin, also known as 4-phosphoryloxy-''N'',''N''-dimethyltryptamine (4-PO-DMT), is a natural product, naturally occurring tryptamine alkaloid and Investigational New Drug, investigational drug found in more than List of psilocybin mushroom ...
. Psilocybin, as well as
synthetic
Synthetic may refer to:
Science
* Synthetic biology
* Synthetic chemical or compound, produced by the process of chemical synthesis
* Synthetic elements, chemical elements that are not naturally found on Earth and therefore have to be created in ...
ester
In chemistry, an ester is a compound derived from an acid (either organic or inorganic) in which the hydrogen atom (H) of at least one acidic hydroxyl group () of that acid is replaced by an organyl group (R). These compounds contain a distin ...
s such as
4-AcO-DMT
4-Acetoxy-''N'',''N''-dimethyltryptamine (4-AcO-DMT or 4-acetoxy-DMT), also known as ''O''-acetylpsilocin or psilacetin, is a psychedelic drug of the tryptamine family related to psilocybin and psilocin. It is a synthetic derivative of psiloc ...
(psilacetin; ''O''-acetylpsilocin) and
4-PrO-DMT
4-Propionoxy-''N,N''-dimethyltryptamine (4-PrO-DMT, or O-Propionylpsilocin) is a synthetic psychedelic drug from the tryptamine family with psychedelic effects, and is believed to act as a prodrug for psilocin. It produces a head-twitch response ...
(''O''-propionylpsilocin), are
prodrug
A prodrug is a pharmacologically inactive medication or compound that, after intake, is metabolized (i.e., converted within the body) into a pharmacologically active drug. Instead of administering a drug directly, a corresponding prodrug can be ...
s of psilocin.
Acting on the
serotonin
Serotonin (), also known as 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), is a monoamine neurotransmitter with a wide range of functions in both the central nervous system (CNS) and also peripheral tissues. It is involved in mood, cognition, reward, learning, ...
5-HT2A receptors, psilocin's psychedelic effects are directly correlated with the drug's