Tryptamine is an indole alkaloid and intermediate in the biosynthesis of serotonin and the phytohormone melatonin in plants.1,2 It increases the levels of the terpenoid indole alkaloids ajmalicine, strictosidine, and catharanthine in cultures of C. roseus.3 Tryptamine is also a product of tryptophan metabolism in mammals.4 Tryptamine derivatives have been synthetically produced as hallucinogenic drugs of abuse that act on the serotonergic system.5
1.Arnao, M.B.Phytomelatonin: Discovery, content, and role in plantsAdv. Bot.2014:815769(2014) 2.Fan, J., Xie, Y., Zhang, Z., et al.Melatonin: A multifunctional factor in plantsInt. J. Mol. Sci.19(5)E1528(2018) 3.Almagro, L., Fernández-Pérez, F., and Pedre?o, M.A.Indole alkaloids from Catharanthus roseus: Bioproduction and their effect on human healthMolecules20(2)2973-3000(2015) 4.Berumen, L.C., Rodríguez, A., Miledi, R., et al.Serotonin receptors in hippocampusSci. World J.2012:823493(2012) 5.Araujo, A.M., Carvalho, F., Bastos, M.L., et al.The hallucinogenic world of tryptamines: An updated reviewArch. Toxicol.89(8)1151-1173(2015)