| Title: | "Analyses of Skin Secretions of Vipera ammodytes (Linnaeus, 1758) (Reptilia: Serpentes), with Focus on the Complex Compounds and Their Possible Role in the Chemical Communication" |
| Author(s): | Andonov K; Dyugmedzhiev A; Lukanov S; Slavchev M; Vacheva E; Stanchev N; Popgeorgiev G; Duhalov D; Kornilev YV; Nedeltcheva-Antonova D; Naumov B; |
| Address: | "Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research-BAS, 2 Gagarin Street, 1113 Sofia, Bulgaria. National Museum of Natural History-BAS, 1 Tsar Osvoboditel Blvd., 1000 Sofia, Bulgaria. Department of Zoology and Anthropology, Sofia University 'St. Kliment Ohridski', 15 Tsar Osvoboditel Blvd., 1504 Sofia, Bulgaria. Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds/BirdLife Bulgaria, Yavorov Complex, Bl. 71, Vh. 4, PO Box 50, 1111 Sofia, Bulgaria. Independent researcher, Vrabnica 1 Complex, Bl. 538, Vh. V, ap. 47, 1229 Sofia, Bulgaria. Integrative Zoology, Department of Evolutionary Biology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria. Institute of Organic Chemistry with Centre of Phytochemistry-BAS, 9 Acad. G. Bonchev Street, 1113 Sofia, Bulgaria" |
| DOI: | 10.3390/molecules25163622 |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 1420-3049 (Electronic) 1420-3049 (Linking) |
| Abstract: | "Snakes rely heavily on chemical cues when foraging, searching for mates, etc. Snakes' sex attractiveness pheromones comprise mainly heavy, semi-volatile compounds such as ketones. Here we investigated the composition of skin secretions of adult Vipera ammodytes (Linnaeus, 1758) individuals. The samples were analyzed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry and the identification of the compounds was performed using commercial mass spectral libraries and retention times. The relative concentrations of all detected compounds were tested for significant differences between (1) male vs. female live individuals, (2) shed skin vs. live individuals, and (3) pre-reproductive vs. reproductive live individuals. We detected fifty-nine compounds of which six were ketones. Two ketones (2-pentacosanone and 2-heptacosanone) were present in many of the samples and thus may have an important role in the V. ammodytes chemical communication. We did not find significant differences between the relative concentrations of the compounds between male and female individuals (only three compounds are exceptions). Significant differences were found between extracts from shed skins and live individuals and between live pre-reproductive individuals and live reproductive individuals. The results of the study suggest that chemical communication in V. ammodytes involves less compounds in comparison to the known literature data for other species" |
| Keywords: | "Animals Bodily Secretions/*metabolism *Cell Communication Female Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry Ketones/*analysis Lipids/*analysis Male Sex Attractants/*analysis Sexual Behavior, Animal Skin/*metabolism Viperidae behavior ketones lipids pheromone sn;" |
| Notes: | "MedlineAndonov, Kostadin Dyugmedzhiev, Angel Lukanov, Simeon Slavchev, Miroslav Vacheva, Emiliya Stanchev, Nikola Popgeorgiev, Georgi Duhalov, Deyan Kornilev, Yurii V Nedeltcheva-Antonova, Daniela Naumov, Borislav eng capital KA, Cyrilliccapital PE, Cyrillic-06-capital EN, Cyrillic21/11 from 14.12.2018/National Science Fund of Bulgaria/ Switzerland 2020/08/14 Molecules. 2020 Aug 9; 25(16):3622. doi: 10.3390/molecules25163622" |
