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Front Zool

Title:		First characterization of toxic alkaloids and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the cryptic dendrobatid Silverstoneia punctiventris
Author(s):		Gonzalez M; Palacios-Rodriguez P; Hernandez-Restrepo J; Gonzalez-Santoro M; Amezquita A; Brunetti AE; Carazzone C;
Address:		"Department of Chemistry, Universidad de los Andes, Bogota, AA, 4976, Colombia. Department of Biological Sciences, Universidad de los Andes, Bogota, AA, 4976, Colombia. Laboratorio de Genetica Evolutiva, Instituto de Biologia Subtropical (CONICET - UNaM), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Universidad Nacional de Misiones, N3300, Posadas, Argentina. Departamento de Ciencias Biomoleculares, Faculdade de Ciencias Farmaceuticas de Ribeirao Preto, Universidade de Sao Paulo, 14040-903, Ribeirao Preto, SP, Brazil. Department of Chemistry, Universidad de los Andes, Bogota, AA, 4976, Colombia. c.carazzone@uniandes.edu.co"
Journal Title:		Front Zool
Year:		2021
Volume:		20210826
Issue:		1
Page Number:		39 -
DOI:		10.1186/s12983-021-00420-1
ISSN/ISBN:		1742-9994 (Print) 1742-9994 (Electronic) 1742-9994 (Linking)
Abstract:		"BACKGROUND: Poison frogs are known for the outstanding diversity of alkaloid-based chemical defences with promising therapeutic applications. However, current knowledge about chemical defences in Dendrobatoidea superfamily has two sources of bias. First, cryptic, brown-colored species have been neglected in comparison to those conspicuously colored, and second, there has been little interest in characterizing metabolites other than alkaloids mediating defensive functions. In an effort to contribute to fill the gap of knowledge about cryptic species and broadening the spectrum of compounds analyzed we have applied head-space solid phase microextraction coupled to gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (HS-SPME/GC-MS) for extracting amphibian alkaloids and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from Silverstoneia punctiventris. RESULTS: Using the skin from 8 specimens in 4 biological replicates we have found 33 different compounds. Twenty of them were classified as VOCs into 15 chemical classes including alkanes, alcohols, carbonyl compounds, methylpyridines, benzothiazoles, N-alkylpyrrolidines, pyrazines, and sesquiterpenoids, some of which were previously reported as repellents, defence compounds or defence pheromones in other organisms, and as sex pheromones in a treefrog. Interestingly, six of the remaining compounds were identified as alkaloids previously reported in other toxic/unpalatable dendrobatid frogs. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first report of alkaloids and VOCs found in the Silverstoneia genus, which has been assumed for decades as non-chemically defended. This study establishes HS-SPME/GC-MS as a new application for a simultaneous approach to amphibian alkaloids and VOCs in poison frogs while opens up new research questions to assess the co-occurrence of both type of compounds and to investigate the evolutionary significance of a defence gradient that includes olfactory avoidance, unpalatability, and toxicity in dendrobatids. In addition, our results show that amphibian alkaloids could have a dual function (olfactory at distance, taste by contact) never explored before neither in Silverstonaeia nor in any other dendrobatid species"
Keywords:		Anti-predatory signal Chemical communication Hs-spme/gc-ms Odour Poison frog Repellent Unpalatability;
Notes:		"PubMed-not-MEDLINEGonzalez, Mabel Palacios-Rodriguez, Pablo Hernandez-Restrepo, Jack Gonzalez-Santoro, Marco Amezquita, Adolfo Brunetti, Andres E Carazzone, Chiara eng announcement No. 757-2016 Doctorados Nacionales/Minciencias/ Project contract No. 44842-058-2018/Minciencias/ Forgivable loan for doctoral student/Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de los Andes/ Seed project INV-2018-33-1259/Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de los Andes/ Seed project INV-2019-67-1747/Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de los Andes/ FAPA project/Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de los Andes/ Visiting Scholar at the Dorrestein Laboratory at Skaggs School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, San Diego, /Fulbright Association/ Postdoctoral fellowships 2014/20915-6/Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Sao Paulo/ Postdoctoral fellowships 2017/23725-1/Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Sao Paulo/ England 2021/08/28 Front Zool. 2021 Aug 26; 18(1):39. doi: 10.1186/s12983-021-00420-1"