Evidence for Biosynthesis of Pseudophrynamine Alkaloids by an Australian Myobatr

Biologically active peptides, amines, steroidal bufadienolides, and samandarine alkaloids represent some of the classes of compounds that amphibians elaborate and store in granular skin glands, apparently for chemical defense against microbial skin infections and/or predators. However, the wide variety of lipophilic alkaloids, discovered in skin of dendrobatid frogs, do not appear to be synthesized by such frogs, since captive-raised dendrobatid frogs completely lacked such alkaloids, but could sequester alkaloids unchanged into skin. Ants, beetles, and millipedes were found to represent the dietary source for many of the "dendrobatid alkaloids".

For full article Click Here