Poisoning by Coprinus atramentarius

The ink cap--Coprinus atramentarius (Bulliard ex Fries) Fries--is responsible for poisoning when ingested with alcohol. The investigation of the "Coprinus syndrome," although a minor poisoning incident, stimulated numerous research programs because the results were expected to yield a novel drug useful during the treatment of alcoholism. This work led to the identification of the active principle--coprine--and to an explanation of its mode of action; nevertheless, detailed toxicology investigations have shown that the mutagenic and gonadotoxic properties of this compound made it unsuitable for therapeutic use. Our current knowledge of the poisoning, the chemistry of the toxin, and its mode of action are here reviewed.