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Introduction: Ayahuasca is a beverage composed by a mixture of herbs which contain the compound N,N-dimethyltriptamine (DMT) and the β-carbolines. Although its use is legalized in Brazil only for religious and spiritual ceremonies, there is a growing black market specialized in the distribution of these compounds in form of herbal material through internet and mail. The purpose of this work was the development of an ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method for the determination of ayahuasca alkaloids and its application in seized ayahuasca products., Methods: An aliquot of seized products was weighted and diluted with methanol. An aliquot of this solution was added with internal standard (DMT-d 6 ), followed by injection in the analytical system., Results: The limit of quantitation was 10ng/mL for DMT and 25ng/mL for harmine, harmaline and tetrahydroharmine. The concentration ranges used were 10-100ng/mL for DMT, harmine and harmaline and all analytes presented a coefficient of determination (r 2 )≥0,99. Analysis of four seized samples presented concentrations of DMT ranging between 31.5 and 46.5mg/g. Presence of β-carbolines was not detected in the products. The variability of DMT concentrations can be correlated with the potential intoxications described in the literature., Conclusion: This work successfully established a determination method for ayahuasca alkaloids in herbal material. In addition, the workflow proved to be simple, rapid and useful to estimate the concentration of psychoactive compounds in seized materials, leading to further investigation of ayahuasca ritualistic or recreational exposure., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest There are no financial or other relations that could lead to a conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Ayahuasca is a brew prepared from the water decoction of two Amazonian plants, which is legally used for religious, cultural or therapeutic activities. The potential use of ayahuasca as a natural or phytotherapeutic drug is directly linked to the action of its active compounds and their connection with the therapeutic efficacy of the beverage. In this context, the aim of the present study was to establish a selective, sensitive and reproducible analytical method for the quantification of the main active ayahuasca compounds. Thirty-eight samples from the state of São Paulo, Brazil, were analyzed and the simultaneous quantifications of N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT), tetrahydroharmine (THH), harmine (HME) and harmaline (HML) were performed. This study enabled the development of a fast validated analytical method with minimal matrix interference and high reproducibility for the tracing of active ayahuasca compound concentrations for the first time. This method is important as an auxiliary tool for the study of active compound effects in biological responses using different multi-omic platforms., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Banisteriopsis caapi, a woody vine from the Amazonian basin, is popularly known as an ingredient of a sacred drink ayahuasca, widely used throughout the Amazon as a medicinal tea for healing and spiritual exploration. The usefulness of Banisteriopsis caapi has been established for alleviating symptoms of neurological disorders including Parkinson's disease., Aim of the Study: Primary objective of this study was to develop the process for preparing standardized extracts of Banisteriopsis caapi to achieve high potency for inhibition of human monoamine oxidases (MAO) and antioxidant properties. The aqueous extracts prepared from different parts of the plant collected from different geographical locations and seasons were analyzed by HPLC for principal bioactive markers. The extracts were simultaneously tested in vitro for inhibition of human MAOs and antioxidant activity for analysis of correlation between phytochemical composition of the extracts and bioactivities., Materials and Methods: Reversed-phase HPLC with photodiode array detection was employed to profile the alkaloidal and non-alkaloidal components of the aqueous extract of Banisteriopsis caapi. The Banisteriopsis caapi extracts and standardized compositions were tested in vitro for inhibition of recombinant preparations of human MAO-A and MAO-B. In vitro cell-based assays were employed for evaluation of antioxidant property and mammalian cell cytotoxicity of these preparations., Results: Among the different aerial parts, leaves, stems/large branches and stem bark of Banisteriopsis caapi, HPLC analysis revealed that most of the dominant chemical and bioactive markers (1, 2, 5, 7-9) were present in high concentrations in dried bark of large branch. A library of HPLC chromatograms has also been generated as a tool for fingerprinting and authentication of the studied Banisteriopsis caapi species. The correlation between potency of MAO inhibition and antioxidant activity with the content of the main active constituents of the aqueous Banisteriopsis caapi extracts and standardized compositions was established. Phytochemical analysis of regular/commercial Banisteriopsis caapi dried stems, obtained from different sources, showed a similar qualitative HPLC profile, but relatively low content of dominant markers 1, 2, 7, and 9, which led to decreased MAO inhibitory and antioxidant potency compared to Banisteriopsis caapi Da Vine., Conclusion: The ethnopharmacological use of bark of matured stem/large branch of Banisteriopsis caapi as well as whole matured stem is supported by the results obtained in this investigation. Among various constituents of Banisteriopsis caapi, harmine (7), harmaline (6) and tetrahydroharmine (5) are responsible for MAO-A inhibition, while two major proanthocyanidines, epicatechin (8) and procyanidine B2 (9) produce antioxidant effects. The compounds 1-9 can serve as reliable markers for identification and standardization of Banisteriopsis caapi aerial parts, collected in different seasons and/or from different geographical regions., (Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Twenty nine decoctions of Banisteriopsis caapi from four different sources and one specimen of B. caapi paste were analyzed for N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT), tetrahydroharmine (THH), harmaline and harmine. Other plants were also used in the preparation of these products, typically Psychotria viridis, which provides DMT. There were considerable variations in alkaloid profiles, both within and between sample sources. DMT was not detected in all samples. Additional THH may be formed from both harmine and harmaline during the preparation of these products. The alkaloid composition of one decoction sample did not change significantly after standing at room temperature for 80 days, but the initial acidic pH was neutralized by natural fermentation after 50 days.