Mescaline distribution and concentration in Trichocereus bridgesii
Abstract
<title>Abstract</title> <p> <italic>Trichocereus bridgesii</italic> Britton & Rose is a widely cultivated botanical source of mescaline with a long history of use as a San Pedro cactus. Despite its reputation as a mescaline-rich species, quantitative data remain limited, and mescaline distribution within individual plants is poorly understood. This study characterised variation in mescaline concentration among cultivated <italic>T. bridgesii</italic> specimens, tissues and spatial positions using complementary sampling approaches and a validated UHPLC–ESI–MS/MS method. Mescaline concentrations varied substantially among cultivar-labelled specimens and within individual plants. Chlorenchyma generally contained significantly higher concentrations than paired parenchyma, although exceptions occurred. Transverse grid dissections demonstrated higher concentrations towards the stem periphery with pronounced fine-scale heterogeneity. Vertical profiling revealed substantial heterogeneity along stems and between adjacent stems, without evidence of a consistent apical-to-basal gradient. In contrast, concentrations were comparatively consistent around the circumference of the two plants examined. Substantial variation was also observed among replicated samples of ‘TBM Clone B’ and across a 64-specimen cultivar screening panel. Mescaline distribution in cultivated <italic>T. bridgesii</italic> was therefore heterogeneous across multiple biological scales. Measurements from a single tissue or sampling position may not reliably represent an entire stem or plant, highlighting the importance of representative sampling in phytochemical analyses. </p>
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