Toxicity and Alkaloid Profiling of the Skin of the Golfo Dulcean Poison Frog Phyllobates vittatus (Dendrobatidae)

Protti‐Sánchez, Francesca; Quirós-Guerrero, Luis; Vásquez, Víctor; Pacheco, Mariano; León, Edwin; Pröhl, Heike; Bolaños, Federico

doi:10.1007/s10886-019-01116-x

Cited by 11 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 55 publications

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“…Notably, however, our research does not address unpalatability of pumiliotoxins or pseudophrynamines. Quantity of alkaloids is not always a good indicator of e cacy of defense (Lawrence et al 2019), and thus we do not know whether pumiliotoxins and pseudophrynamines contained in these frogs are equivalently unpalatable (or toxic) to potential predators or effective against microbial infection (Hovey et al 2018;Lawrence et al 2019Lawrence et al , 2023Protti-Sánchez et al 2019). This would be important context for these results to understand how defenses change, as perceived by predators or microbes, over the lifecycle of these frogs.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Alkaloid-based chemical defenses and diet in six species of Australian poison frogs in the genus Pseudophryne

Sague,

Dudaitis,

Plumert

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Poison frogs are well known for their ability to sequester alkaloids from their diet of leaf-litter arthropods for use in defense against predators and pathogens. Australian frogs in the genus Pseudophryne represent an understudied lineage of poison frogs, which have the unique ability to both sequester dietary alkaloids and synthesize pseudophrynamine alkaloids. Herein, we describe the alkaloid profiles and diet of six species of Pseudophryne (P. guentheri, P. occidentalis, P. semimarmorata, P. dendyi, P. bibronii, and P. coriacea) to gain a better understanding of how alkaloid defenses and diet are related within and among species. We characterized and quantified alkaloids using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS), and assessed diet by way of dissection and examination of stomach contents using light microscopy. Our results found that alkaloid profiles varied significantly among species, with pumiliotoxins (dietary-derived) and pseudophrynamines (biosynthesized) being the most abundant alkaloids. Pseudophryne bibronii and P. dendyi contained mostly dietary derived alkaloids, whereas P. coriacea, P. guentheri, P. semimarmorata, and P. occidentalis possessed mostly biosynthesized alkaloids. The stomachs of each species were largely empty, containing mostly soil and few partially digested insects. Our data suggest that frogs eat minimally during the breeding season and therefore a decrease in dietary alkaloids may be compensated for by the biosynthesized pseudophrynamines, which could allow Australian poison frogs to remain defended from predators during this vulnerable time period.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Alkaloid-based chemical defenses and diet in six species of Australian poison frogs in the genus Pseudophryne

Sague,

Dudaitis,

Plumert

et al. 2023

Preprint

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show abstract

“…Also, we should not forget that besides alkaloids there are many natural products that could have defensive functions. LC-MS was a powerful tool for separating and putatively annotating new metabolites in P. vitattus such as bufogenins, bufotenins, and bufadienolides [25]. Furthermore, the combination of HS-SPME with GC-MS offers the possibility of increasing the chemical space sampled, without restricting the extraction and separation methods for alkaloids and diminishing the environmental impact preventing waste residues from organic solvents [95].…”

Section: Vocsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Whether non-alkaloid metabolites detected in dendrobatids have an anti-predatory function is an unresolved question. Some of the compounds that deserve further attention include biogenic amines, bufadienolides, a dipeptide called carnosine (detected in Phyllobates) [2], deltorphins, bufogenins, bufotenins, (putatively identified in P. vitattus) [25], and presumably defensive malodorous compounds perceived in Aromobates nocturnus (without successful chemical characterization) [26]. In particular, different volatile organic compounds (VOCs) have been characterized in other amphibians such as pelodryadids [27], mantellids [28], hyperoliids [29], and hylids [30,31].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

First characterization of toxic alkaloids and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the cryptic dendrobatid Silverstoneia punctiventris

et al. 2021

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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.

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“…Most publications mentioning P. vittatus do not focus primarily on this species (Daly et al, 1980;Duellman, 1967;Pröhl, 2005;Savage, 1968;Silverstone, 1976;Summers, 2000;Widmer et al, 2000). The latest publications about the ecology include notes on its distribution (De Plecker and Aguilar Montenegro, 2020;Mebs et al, 2014;Ryan, 2002), while the rest focus on behaviour and toxicity (Mebs et al, 2014;Ödder et al, 2007;Protti-Sánchez et al, 2019;Summers, 2000). Thus, apart from the early works that described its ecology, little is known about this species, regarding its ecological niche and distribution (Savage, 2002;Silverstone, 1976).…”

Section: Introduction *mentioning

confidence: 99%

Remote sensing and citizen science to characterize the ecological niche of an endemic and endangered Costa Rican poison frog

et al. 2023

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Habitat encroachment can have devastating effects upon biodiversity, especially amphibians. Phyllobates vittatus is an endemic frog from Costa Rica, where land cover has seen significant changes over recent decades. Here we use remote sensing to create a land cover map of the region and carry out ecological niche modelling to identify the main abiotic factors associated to the distribution of this species. We have informed our models based on our own field observations, those from other researchers, and citizen science participants to obtain a comprehensive database of P. vittatus occurrences. Elevation, forest percentage, distance to lakes and rivers, annual temperature range and precipitation variables were found to shape the ecological niche of P. vittatus, which is mostly located within protected areas. Prior knowledge of the habitat of the species was key to interpret the model output. We identify populations that might be isolated, and areas where presence has not yet been verified or that have not been occupied by the species, thus, identifying potential areas for reintroductions. We also calculated the area of occupancy and recommend that P. vittatus’ status be adjusted to “Endangered”. Future surveys and evaluation of population health and connectivity would help to better ensure the protection of the species in the long-term.

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Toxicity and Alkaloid Profiling of the Skin of the Golfo Dulcean Poison Frog Phyllobates vittatus (Dendrobatidae)

Cited by 11 publications

References 55 publications

Alkaloid-based chemical defenses and diet in six species of Australian poison frogs in the genus Pseudophryne

Alkaloid-based chemical defenses and diet in six species of Australian poison frogs in the genus Pseudophryne

First characterization of toxic alkaloids and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the cryptic dendrobatid Silverstoneia punctiventris

Remote sensing and citizen science to characterize the ecological niche of an endemic and endangered Costa Rican poison frog

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