The problem of legalized use of fly agarics and diagnosis based on the results of clinical laboratory diagnostics (literature review)

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Abstract

In recent years, the popularity of fly agaric «microdosing» has increased, which involves their systematic use in small doses (usually several grams) in order to provide a "therapeutic effect without harm to the body." The market offers capsules, dried caps of red fly agaric (Amanita muscaria) and pantherine fly agaric (Amanita pantherina), which until recently were actively sold by individual entrepreneurs on Russian e-commerce platforms. At the federal level, the storage, purchase and sale of pantherine and red fly agarics, as well as psychoactive compounds in their composition, such as ibotenic acid and muscimol, are not regulated in the Russian Federation, which has led to their recreational use and, as a result, a large number of poisonings.

The purpose of the work is to review the literature on the main manifestations and features of the action of toxicants of the red and panther fly agarics during recreational use by humans, motives for use, statistics of poisoning, toxicodynamics and toxicokinetics of fly agaric alkaloids and the chemical composition of the species.

As a result of a consistent analysis of available literature data, the chemical composition of the red fly agaric (Amanita muscaria) and the panther fly agaric (Amanita pantherina) was examined, explaining the reason for the recreational use of raw materials (dried caps and capsules). The psychoactive components of the fly agaric are ibotenic acid, muscimol and methyltetrahydrocarbolinecarboxylic acid, which have an exciting, inhibitory and hallucinogenic effect on the central nervous system. The literature does not contain data on the methods for detecting the most important chemical components of the red fly agaric and panther fly agaric responsible for the psychotropic effect, which is an urgent problem of clinical laboratory diagnostics.

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About the authors

Е. А. Evdokimova

St. Petersburg State Chemical and Pharmaceutical University of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation; Scientific and Clinical Center of Toxicology named after Academician S.N. Golikov of the Federal Medical and Biological Agency

Author for correspondence.
Email: innova.2000@mail.ru
ORCID iD: 0009-0001-6759-526X
SPIN-code: 4063-1760

Junior Research Scientist

Russian Federation, str. Professora Popova, 14, lit. A, municipal district Aptekarsky Island, St. Petersburg, 197022; Bekhtereva str. 1, St. Petersburg, 192019

О. L. Balabanova

St. Petersburg State Chemical and Pharmaceutical University of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation; St. Petersburg Research Institute of Emergency Medicine named after. I.I. Dzhanelidze

Email: innova.2000@mail.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0002-8636-9858
SPIN-code: 6286-3797

Ph.D. (Med.), Lecturer at the Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry

Russian Federation, str. Professora Popova, 14, lit. A, municipal district Aptekarsky Island, St. Petersburg, 197022; Budapestskaya str., 3, lit. A, St. Petersburg, 192242

D. А. Pshennikova

St. Petersburg Research Institute of Emergency Medicine named after. I.I. Dzhanelidze

Email: olga.strelova@pharminnotech.com
ORCID iD: 0009-0004-2531-410X
SPIN-code: 3810-1510

Clinical Laboratory Diagnostics Doctor

Russian Federation, Budapestskaya str., 3, lit. A, St. Petersburg, 192242

Е. А. Kuznetsova

Scientific and Clinical Center of Toxicology named after Academician S.N. Golikov of the Federal Medical and Biological Agency

Email: olga.strelova@pharminnotech.com
ORCID iD: 0009-0008-7670-553X

Junior Research Scientist

Russian Federation, Bekhtereva str. 1, St. Petersburg, 192019

O. J. Strelova

St. Petersburg State Chemical and Pharmaceutical University of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation

Email: olga.strelova@pharminnotech.com
ORCID iD: 0000-0001-6737-1023
SPIN-code: 1519-7618

Dr.Sc. (Pharm.), Professor, Head of the Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry

Russian Federation, str. Professora Popova, 14, lit. A, municipal district Aptekarsky Island, St. Petersburg, 197022

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Supplementary files

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2. Fig. 1. Share of acute mushroom poisonings in 2022–2023 years

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3. Fig. 2. Main toxins of A. muscaria и A. pantherina [8]

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