Occurrence of bufotenin in the Osteocephalus genus (Anura: Hylidae).
T O G Costa, R A V Morales, J P Brito, M Gordo, A C Pinto, C Bloch
Toxicon : official journal of the International Society on Toxinology September 15, 2005 DOI: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2005.02.006 via PubMed
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractBufotenin, a tryptamine alkaloid with hallucinogenic properties similar to LSD, was identified in the skin secretions of three arboreal frog species from the Osteocephalus genus: Osteocephalus taurinus, Osteocephalus oophagus, and Osteocephalus langsdorffii, found in the Amazon and Atlantic rain forests. This is the first report of bufotenin in this genus. The compound acts as a component of the frogs' chemical defense system and interacts with the 5HT2 human receptor. The identification was confirmed using multiple analytical techniques including RP-HPLC, ESI-MS/MS, UV, IR, and multidimensional NMR.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Descriptive laboratory study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Skin secretions from three Osteocephalus species (Osteocephalus taurinus, Osteocephalus oophagus, and Osteocephalus langsdorffii) |
| Keywords | Amphibian chemical defenses Frog toxins Amphibian venoms Defensive secretions Natural defenses |
| Citations | 16 |
| Key finding | Bufotenin was identified for the first time in the skin secretions of three Osteocephalus frog species from the Amazon and Atlantic rain forests. |
Abstract
Bufotenin (5-hydroxy-N,N-dimetyltryptamine) is a tryptamine alkaloid widely spread among anuran families as a component of their chemical defense system, acting as a potent hallucinogenic factor, showing similar activity to LSD upon interaction with the 5HT2 human receptor. This work demonstrates the presence of bufotenin in the skin secretion of three arboreal amphibian species of the Osteocephalus genus (Osteocephalus taurinus, Osteocephalus oophagus and Osteocephalus langsdorffii) from the Amazon and the Atlantic rain forests using RP-HPLC, ESI-MS/MS, UV, IR and multidimensional NMR techniques. To our knowledge, this is the first description of bufotenin in the Osteocephalus genus, so far.