Biodiversity of β-Carboline Profile of Banisteriopsis caapi and Ayahuasca, a Plant and a Brew with Neuropharmacological Potential.

Ayahuasca is a psychoactive infusion with a large pharmacological application normally prepared withBanisteriopsis caapi, which contains the monoamine oxidase inhibitors beta-carbolines, andPsichotria virids, which contains the serotonin receptor agonist N,N dimethyltryptamine (DMT). The objectives of this study were to investigate the chemical profile ofB. caapiand of ayahuasca collected in various Brazilian regions. In total, 176 plant lianas, of which 159B.caapiand 33 ayahuasca samples were analyzed. Dried liana samples were powdered, extracted with methanol, diluted, and analyzed by LC-MS/MS. Ayahuasca samples were diluted and analyzed. Mean concentrations inB. caapiwere 4.79 mg/g harmine, 0.451 mg/g harmaline, and 2.18 mg/g tetrahydroharmine (THH), with a high variability among the samples (RSD from 78.9 to 170%). NativeB. caapisamples showed significantly higher harmine concentrations than cultivated ones, and samples from the Federal District/Goias had higher THH content than those collected in the State of Acre. The other Malpighiaceae samples did not contain beta-carbolines, except for oneD. pubipetalasample. Concentrations in ayahuasca samples ranged from 0.109 to 7.11 mg/mL harmine, 0.012 to 0.945 mg/mL harmaline, 0.09 to 3.05 mg/mL THH, and 0.10 to 3.12 mg/mL DMT. The analysis of paired ayahuasca/B. caapiconfirmed that harmine is reduced to harmaline and to THH during the brew preparation. This is the largest study conducted with Malpighiaceae samples and showed a large variability in the main beta-carbolines present inB. caapi. This biodiversity is a challenge for standardization of the material used in ethnopharmacological studies ofB.caapiand ayahuasca.