Amanitin Content and Toxicity of Amanita verna Bull

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Abstract
The .alpha.-, .beta.- and .gamma.-amanitin content of 11 samples of A. verna Bull., collected during 1975-1978 in Germany and Switzerland, was determined by high performance TLC (HPTLC) of crude methanolic extracts. The toxicity (i.v. LD50 for mice of defatted, lyophilized, methanolic extracts) of 3 samples was compared with that of A. phalloides from the same collection site. The amanitin content of A. verna ranged from 2250-4570 mg/kg dry weight; the fungi contained almost as much .beta.- as .alpha.-amanitin, whereas the .gamma.-amanitin content amounted to about 12% of the total amanitin. A. verna contained less amanitin (65% on the average) than A. phalloides from the same collection site, but it was not significantly less toxic since the phallotoxins contributed to the toxicity of either species in these tests.