Question of the Day – Tuesday, October 18, 2022

What is the mechanism of toxicity of gyromitrin?

Gyromitrin undergoes a series of hydrolysis reactions to form monomethylhydrazine which prevents the activation of pyridoxine to pyridoxal 5’ phosphate, a required cofactor for glutamic acid conversion to GABA. Symptoms typically consist of a variety of neurologic symptoms including seizures.

Goldfrank LR. Mushrooms. In: Nelson LS, Howland M, Lewin NA, Smith SW, Goldfrank LR, Hoffman RS. eds. Goldfrank’s Toxicologic Emergencies, 11e. McGraw Hill; 2019. Accessed August 29, 2022. https://accessemergencymedicine.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?bookid=2569&sectionid=210276854